Why Pete Buttigieg’s Iowa surge was not surprising

South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg surged 16 points to land at top of the Democratic field in the latest CNN/Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa caucuses poll.

Sometimes a climb in the polls for a candidate is surprising, but in the case of Buttigieg, you could see the potential a mile away. Why?

It all has to do with the fact that a lot of caucusgoers had and have a highly favorable view of Buttigieg. As I’ve stressed over and over again, the key in caucuses and primaries is to be loved, not liked. It doesn’t really help a candidate if their somewhat favorable rating is high. They want their very favorable rating to be high. CONT.