South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, ascendant in the polls, faced questions during Wednesday night's debate about whether his resume qualifies him to be the Democratic nominee.
Buttigieg was asked by a moderator whether his experience leading a small city, where he was elected mayor with 11,000 votes, gave him the requisite experience to take on President Donald Trump.
The 37-year-old responded that although his heartland resume may not be traditional, it is exactly what the party needs.
"We need somebody who can go toe to toe, who actually comes from the kinds of communities that (Trump's) been appealing to," he said, adding that his military service also gave him experience for making foreign policy decisions.
"I know that from the perspective of Washington, what goes on in my city might look small. But frankly, where we live, the infighting on Capitol Hill is what looks small, the usual way of doing business in Washington is what looks small," Buttigieg said. "I believe we need to send somebody in who has a different kind of experience, the experience on the ground, solving problems, working side by side with neighbors on some of the toughest issues."
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar was asked about her earlier comments that a female candidate with Buttigieg's resume would not be viewed as qualified for president. She responded that she believes Buttigieg is qualified but stood by her belief that a woman with similar experiences would not be judged so.
"Women are held to a higher standard. Otherwise we could play a game called 'name your favorite woman president,' which we can't do," she said.
Buttigieg came into Wednesday night's debate with an enormous target on his back but hadn't faced any major attacks in the first hour of the debate, which is surprising since he just took the top spot in surveys of Iowa and New Hampshire voters released in recent days.
On the campaign trail, Buttigieg's Democratic rivals have launched attacks about his age, resume and relationship with black voters.
