Pete Buttigieg delivered a message to billionaires during Tuesday's debate that shed some light on his campaign's financial state.

"If you're watching right now," he said, "and you're a billionaire, I will raise your taxes. But if you'd like to defeat Donald Trump, please go to PeteForAmerica.com and donate the maximum $2,800."

It's no secret, Pete Buttigieg has been leaning on supporters to fund his campaign through Super Tuesday. In addition to attending fundraisers, he has been sending out increasingly urgent emails to supporters saying he is, as of the debate, at 32% toward a goal of $13 million needed to fund the race through March 3.

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His campaign indicated that his plug during the debate worked.

Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, delivered the line after Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders accused him of funding his campaign through donations from billionaires.

"I will tell you Pete," Sanders said. "I will tell you Joe (Biden), what the American people want, they don't want a candidate to be running to billionaires for huge amounts of money."

Buttigieg said he has raised more from grass-roots contributions than the 50 or so billionaires who have contributed to his campaign.

"Grass-roots donations are the life blood of my campaign," he said.

Buttigieg was among seven candidates on the debate stage from Charleston, South Carolina, ahead of the primary this Saturday. The debate was co-hosted by CBS and the Congressional Black Caucus.

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