Pete Buttigieg's choice in music and 3 other observations from the campaign trail

Chris Sikich | Indianapolis Star

Show Caption Hide Caption IndyStar journalists break down the past month covering the candidate IndyStar journalists Chris Sikich and Robert Scheer talk about their experience covering Pete Buttigieg's campaign, from Iowa to the Carolinas.

From the music he played to the questions he took, Pete Buttigieg had a style of his own.

IndyStar followed the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, as he rallied for voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, North Carolina and South Carolina. He was greeted by crowds big and small. He filled high school gymnasiums, college arenas and hotel conference centers. Some things, though, were always the same.

Here are four observations from the campaign trail:

1. He always opened to the same song

Much like a professional wrestler who walks to the ring with theme music, Buttigieg liked to stroll onto stage with "High Hopes" from Panic! At the Disco blaring from the speakers.

"Had to have high, high hopes for a living. Shooting for the stars when I couldn't make a killing. Didn't have a dime but I always had a vision. Always had high, high hopes."

The song even inspired a dance move his supporters use.

Team @PeteButtigieg showing off their dance moves early this morning ahead of today’s #SteakFry in Iowa. pic.twitter.com/ZyCEehrz9A — Rachel Scott (@rachelvscott) September 21, 2019

At events, the song was always a big moment, its pop pushing his supporters into enthusiastic shouting.

Often, they had been there for an hour or more before he took the stage. There's not much to do except listen to music and chat.

Buttigieg had what seemed like the same lively playlist at every event, including past pop hits such as George Michael's "Freedom," country music such as Tim McGraw's "My Next 30 Years," classic rock such as The Who's "We Won't Get Fooled Again," and somewhat more contemporary songs such as Florence and the Machine's "Dog Days Are Over."

He always left the stage to Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Come on the risin' wind, we're goin' up around the bend" playing out. Buttigieg has even made the song's Wikipedia entry, which notes an anecdote about him semipermanently looping a CCR tape in a car he drove as a young man.

Clearly, Buttigieg was intending some not so subtle subliminal messaging with his list invoking songs of change and the future.

2. Questions from a fishbowl

Buttigieg tended to give variations of the same stump speech on the campaign trail for about 15 or 20 minutes before taking questions that audience members had written on a piece of paper and placed in a fishbowl.

A campaign aide would pick up a piece of paper, and Buttigieg would read and answer the question. A lot of times people asked policy questions he had previously addressed, but sometimes the queries would evoke an unique response.

Asked in Rock Hill, South Carolina, about how he had decided to run for president, he pivoted to some familiar talking points about running during unusual times, his experience in the Midwest and the unlikeliness of the mayor of South Bend taking such a step.

Then he paused for a moment and spoke more candidly about his husband, Chasten.

"Look, we've been married for less than a year," Buttigieg said, "and this is not a great thing to do to your first year of marriage."

He said Chasten made him promise to stay true to their values and to make time to have fun along the way.

Each candidate's appearances were different. At a stop in Sumter, South Carolina, former Vice President Joe Biden took questions directly from the audience. Biden often appears more comfortable talking one on one with people rather than delivering a speech.

At a rally in Columbia, South Carolina, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, on the other hand, ran through his list of priorities without taking questions. Also unlike Buttigieg and Biden, Sanders didn't linger too long to shake hands or take photos with supporters afterward. He left fairly quickly after a businesslike performance.

3. Buttigieg leans into the crowd

The way Buttigieg delivered a speech changed depending on the mood of the crowd.

The larger and more animated the audience, the more energetic his delivery. With a small or quiet crowd, he would deliver the same lines but in a much more subdued voice.

On Saturday in North Carolina, he was at one of the lowest moments of his candidacy. He had just finished in fourth place in South Carolina and in about 24 hours would quit the race for the presidency.

Thank you for being a subscriber!

But in Raleigh he was greeted by one of the largest and most enthusiastic crowds on the trail. He delivered a rousing performance that made it appear he would fight on for weeks, at the least, leaning into his lines with fervor as the crowd cheered with gusto.

Just weeks earlier, he gave many of the same lines to just a few hundred people at an appearance at Plymouth State University in a less populated area of central New Hampshire. Buttigieg was positioned to win the state, but with less energy from the crowd, he delivered lines not with gusto but with a sort of subdued earnestness, trying to persuade people to his side.

4. Buttigieg inspired many in the LGBTQ community

Buttigieg is the first openly gay Democrat to run for president, but he hardly made it a plank of his campaign. He didn't speak much to LGBTQ-specific issues on the stage.

He did sometimes reference being married to a male teacher. He would talk about knowing what it's like to be marginalized. He and Chasten often would either kiss or hug, or both, on stage after events.

It was clear from speaking with supporters before and after events that his candidacy was an inspiration to many. When asked by IndyStar why they supported Buttigieg, a lot of people would, unprompted, say they were gay and describe what he meant to them. Many also supported his stance on the issues, to be sure, but his sexual orientation clearly was a factor.

At Buttigieg's watch party at Nashua Community College in New Hampshire, student Alex Johnson told IndyStar what Buttigieg's presidential run meant to him as a fellow gay man.

"It's nice to see that even the highest office in the land is attainable," Johnson said. "It's not something that's just a dream. It's something that can happen."

Matthew Doyle, 44, flew in from London to attend the same watch party. He, along with his partner, also was at Buttigieg's presidential launch last April in South Bend.

"As a gay man," Doyle said, "to see an openly gay man running for president is something that is significant, meaningful and something I want to support."

Call IndyStar reporter Chris Sikich at 317-444-6036. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisSikich.