Pete Buttigieg, in town hall, couldn't name a living Republican he 'respects'

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Brit Hume praises Pete Buttigieg: The most impressive candidate in the Democratic field

It will be interesting to see how Pete Buttigieg stacks up against Joe Biden on the debate stage, says Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume.

2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., struggled to name a single living Republican he respects when asked at a televised town hall on Monday.

MSNBC host Chris Matthews warned Buttigieg, a Democrat, that the questions prior were "easy" and that the "tough ones" were approaching.

"Name some of your public figures -- Republicans who you respect," Matthews said, quickly stressing, "living Republicans."

That question visibly deflated the presidential candidate and caused the Fresno audience to roar with laughter.

"Aw, I had such a great answer if it wasn't living," Buttigieg reacted.

After Matthews predicted "Abraham Lincoln" and "Teddy Roosevelt," the South Bend mayor told the MSNBC host he had a "better one," which was 1940 GOP presidential nominee Wendell Willkie.

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"He was from Indiana, he put country before party," Buttigieg said.

The "Hardball" host quickly moved on, without hearing the name of a living Republican Buttigieg respected. The Democrat has been very critical of President Trump on the campaign trail and repeatedly went after Vice President Mike Pence over his views on LGBT issues.