South Bend, Ind. Mayor and contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, Pete Buttigieg, drew a crowd of more than 300 to a town hall meeting in Carroll Saturday night. Buttigieg’s last visit to Carroll was nearly seven months ago, and he says his campaign has come a long way since then.

With only a few days left until the Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses on Feb. 3, recent polls show a tight race between the top four candidates. A poll average from Real Clear Politics on Jan. 24 shows former Vice President, Joe Biden, leading with 20 percent; Vermont Senator, Bernie Sanders, at 19.3 percent; Buttigieg with 16.8 percent and Massachusetts Senator, Elizabeth Warren at 16.3 percent. According to Buttigieg, many Democrats are focused on beating Trump, but he says they also need to be ready for what comes after.

Healthcare consistently ranks as one of the top issues for voters and Buttigieg says the current system is not getting the job done, citing the story from a Buena Vista County woman.

According to Buttigieg, his plan will keep private insurance intact and create a public option, which he says would drive down healthcare costs through competition. His campaign estimates this will cost $1.5 trillion over 10 years and would be rolling back the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Buttigieg answered questions from attendees on infrastructure, his faith, school safety and more. Carroll Broadcasting will bring more from the event in upcoming newscasts. Full audio from the town hall can be found included with this story on our website.

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