Brit Hume: Buttigieg is perhaps the most talented politician he's seen since Obama
Brit Hume discusses the electability of Joe Biden in the wake of Mayor Pete Buttigieg surging heading into the New Hampshire primary
Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume called former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg a “talented politician," adding that he is "perhaps the most talented I’ve seen in the party since Barack Obama.”
Hume acknowledged on “America’s Newsroom” on Monday that Buttigieg is a talented politician even though “there’s a stature issue because he’s so young and the fact that he is a mayor of a small town.”
Hume made the comments one day after the Iowa Democratic Party announced that Buttigieg won 14 delegates and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will be awarded 12, following the party's disastrous first-in-the-nation caucuses last week that have been plagued with apparent inaccuracies in crucial voting data.
His statements also came one day before the New Hampshire primary.
Joe Biden says he’s not “writing off” New Hampshire – but it sure looks like the former vice president is lowering expectations in the state that holds the first primary in the race for the White House.
“I took a hit in Iowa and I’m probably going to take a hit here,” Biden said in a striking moment at the top of the latest Democratic nomination debate.
BIDEN FIGHTS FOR SURVIVAL IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, AS ELECTABILITY ARGUMENT PUT TO TEST
For Biden, at least a third-place finish in New Hampshire could be critical, if only to prevent an exodus of donors and the possible erosion of his so-called "firewall" of support in the looming South Carolina contest.
When asked how Biden would continue to make the case on electability that he’s the most likely person to beat Trump if he finishes fourth or fifth in New Hampshire Hume said, “I think it’d be extremely difficult for him.”
“I think he shows support in South Carolina, but these results from the early couple states tend to sort of slingshot their way in affecting the later states,” Hume said.
“Now, South Carolina, to some extent because it's regional, it’s different from the early states, it’s to some extent immune from that effect.”
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“If he does that badly here [New Hampshire] as fourth or something like that, what will happen probably is money will start to dry up, you can't campaign without it, and support will begin to ebb away because what the party is really looking for is an alternative, a strong, so-called moderate alternative to Bernie Sanders and it looked for the longest time like Biden would be that alternative,” he continued.
“But, if it looks like it’s not, it’ll be a mad scramble and all kinds of people will be in it, including, of course, Pete Buttigieg, who looks like he’s in second place here.”
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and Gregg Re contributed to this report.
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