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ADAM. ADAM: IT’S AN UNOFFICIAL HOLIDAY HERE AT THE STATEHOUSE, AS THE TWO WEEK PARADE OF PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS UP THESE STEPS AND INTO THE OFFICE OF SECRETARY OF STATE BILL GARDNER IS NOW UNDERWAY. >> WE ARE OFFICIALLY A CANDIDATE IN THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. >> PETE. PETE. ANDY: WITH SUPPORTERS LINING THE HALLS OF THE STATEHOUSE, PETE BUTTIGIEG MADE HIS WAY TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE’S OFFICE TO PUT HIS NAME ON THE BALLOT FOR THE FIRST IN THE NATION PRIMARY. >> ALL RIGHT, THERE WE GO. [APPLAUSE] MAYOR BUTTIGIEG: THIS ISN’T JUST A POLITICAL PROCESS, IT’S AN AMERICAN TRADITION, AND YOU FEEL THAT. ANDY: BUTTIGIEG SAYS HE’D BE THE MOST PROGRESSIVE PRESIDENT OF HIS LIFETIME, BUT HE KNOWS UNDECLARED, INDEPENDENT VOTERS MAKE UP THE BIGGEST PART OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE ELECTORATE. MAYOR BUTTIGIEG: I’VE REALLY BEEN STRUCK BY HOW MANY INDEPENDENT OR HISTORICALLY REPUBLICAN VOTERS HAVE APPROACHED ME AND SAID THEY’RE GOING TO SUPPORT US. AND TO ME IT’S NOT ABOUT PRETENDING TO BE CONSERVATIVE. IT’S ABOUT BEING STRAIGHTFORWARD WITH MY VALUES AND MAKING SURE EVERYBODY KNOWS THEY ARE WELCOME. ANDY: THOSE RIGHT-LEANING, BUTTIGIEG-CURIOUS VOTERS INCLUDE SIMONE BEDARD OF MERRIMACK. >> I’M AN INDEPENDENT, AND I’M CONSERVATIVE, BUT I REALLY LIKE WHAT HE’S GOT TO SAY. ANDY: THE SOUTH BEND MAYOR’S IMPROBABLE RISE HAS ALREADY RESHAPED THE 2020 RACE. AN EVEN BIGGER CHALLENGE LIES AHEAD, BUT THIS CANDIDATE IS CONFIDENT. MAYOR BUTTIGIEG: ALL THE INDICATORS ARE THAT OURS IS A WINNING MESSAGE. IF YOU HAVE A WINING MESSAGE AND A STRONG ORGANIZATION, THEN ALL YOU GOT TO DO IS PUT IT TO WORK. ADAM: BUTTIGIEG IS ON THE BALLOT. NEXT UP TOMORROW MORNING IS THE -- I

Advertisement Buttigieg, filing for first-in-nation primary, says he’s ‘counting on’ winning it South Bend mayor signs declaration of candidacy, pays $1,000 fee, to become first major candidate on ballot Share Shares Copy Link Copy

After becoming the first major candidate to file for the first-in the-nation primary Wednesday, Mayor Pete Buttigieg said he’s “counting on” winning it but realizes it will be a tough battle with two neighbors in the Democratic race.>> Download the FREE WMUR app“We’re counting on it,” Buttigieg told New Hampshire reporters moments after filing to have his name placed on the ballot for the election, which has yet to be formally scheduled but is expected to be held on Feb. 11, 2020.“It’s all about speaking to New Hampshire voters about how your life will be different with me as president versus the others,” Buttigieg said. “Sometimes, we see politics drift away from what it’s really about, which is everyday life and how it’s affected by the decisions made in Washington.“The other thing I’m drawn to in New Hampshire is that there is a very independent turn of mind here,” Buttigieg said.“And there are a lot of folks who see how troubled and how scrambled our politics are right now, and they’re looking for what it’s going to take to turn the page. And that first day after the Donald Trump presidency, that day we’re trying to deliver, in many ways is just the beginning of the challenge.”Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, was the first major candidate to file, after being welcomed by Secretary of State Bill Gardner to his office, which was packed with media, as several hundred supporters chanted, “President Pete!” in the outside hallway.The first to file was Mark Stewart of Connecticut, as he was in 2016. Also filing ahead of Buttigieg was Rocky De La Fuente, a California businessman.The next major candidate to file will be Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who is scheduled for Thursday at 11:30 a.m.At Buttigieg’s side when he filed were three of his top Granite State supporters, longtime Democratic activists John Rauh and Mary Rauh, as well as Stonyfield Farm founder and party activist and donor Gary Hirshberg.Recent New Hampshire polls have consistently shown Buttigieg in the top four or five candidates., trailing Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, as well as former Vice President Joe Biden.“There’s no question I’ve got competitors with a near home field advantage,” Buttigieg said, answering a question posed by a WMUR reporter.“But I also find that this is a very competitive state. So many voters have said that even if they do have a preferred candidate, they’re still keeping their options open, and to us, there’s a really clear space for us.”He said he is offering a message “bold enough to get the job done and can unify Americans.”After filing, Buttigieg spoke to several hundred supporters at a rally on the State House lawn. He then headed to Milford for a downtown walking tour and planned a town hall event at the Peterborough Town Hall on Wednesday evening. On Thursday, Buttigieg will hold ano the town hall event -- this one at the Derry Opera Houise.