BUTTIGIEG SHRUGS OFF ANTI-GAY HECKLERS

The campaign expected about 50 people for its town hall at the gymnasium at Benjamin Franklin Junior High school in Des Moines. The school estimated 1,650 people showed up.

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg swept into Iowa on Tuesday, drawing some of the biggest crowds of the 2020 race so far in the first-in-the-nation caucus state. He faced anti-gay hecklers at two events, including in Des Moines where a man in the crowd shouted 'remember Sodom and Gomorrah!' just after Buttigieg talked about marrying his husband, Chasten, who attended the event.

"The man kept shouting but the crowd chants of 'Pete! Pete!' drowned him out. Buttigieg calmly looked on as security escorted away the individual. 'The good news is, the condition of my soul is in the hands of God, but the Iowa caucuses are up to you,' Buttigieg said to laughter and cheers.

"In all, three hecklers over two Iowa events were taken away and each time Buttigieg unflinchingly carried on after cracking a joke or commenting on freedom of expression. A campaign aide said it was the first time the mayor faced such security incidents since touring nationally." Video

-- BUTTIGIEG EDGE: "Two days after officially entering the presidential race, Buttigieg was expecting 50 people at a Polk County meet and greet. As RSVPs rolled in, organizers moved it from a small gym at Franklin Junior High to the large gym, to an auditorium and finally moving it outside. A good thing: a stunning 1,650 people showed up in the end.

"It isn't just the number of people that stands out: Buttigieg has yet to staff up with organizers in Iowa, so this turnout was mostly organic. Buttigieg spoke to a progressive Iowa group in December and has visited the earlier this year but this crowd was exponentially larger."

Source Politico



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