Buttigieg plays up blue-collar cred: 'Literally the least wealthy person on this stage'

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Pete Buttigieg moves past Democratic presidential rivals in new Iowa poll

25 percent of likely Iowa Caucus goers pick Mayor Peter Buttigieg as their first choice in a new poll; Peter Doocy reports from Atlanta.

ATLANTA -- South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg has been working to differentiate himself from the other top-tier Democratic candidates in terms of policy differences, but during Wednesday night's debate, he pointed to a personal distinction -- namely, his relatively modest means.

Buttigieg referred to a Forbes Magazine article that listed all of the presidential candidates according to their net worth.

"I'm literally the least wealthy person on this stage," Buttigieg said.

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Buttigieg likely was referring to a Forbes piece published in August 2019. According to that article, the Democrat at the top of the list was Tom Steyer with a net worth of $1.6 billion. The reported median: $2 million. Buttigieg trailed all of them with an estimated net worth of $100,000.

President Trump, meanwhile, was listed as nearly twice as wealthy as Steyer with an estimated $3.1 billion. Buttigieg pointed out the sharp contrast between the two.

While Trump has been known for spending time at golf courses bearing his name, Buttigieg stated, "I don't even golf."

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Of the candidates still in the race, Buttigieg was one of just three on the list with a net worth of less than $1 million. The article listed former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro at $700,000 and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, at $500,000.

Buttigieg's fellow front-runners, former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., were listed at $9 million, $12 million and $2.5 million, respectively.