He has yet to officially announce his presidential bid for the 2020 election, but Pete Buttigieg has somehow already appealed to people all over the country. Just in the last few weeks, the South Bend, Ind., mayor has gained wide media coverage, appearing on NBC’s " Meet the Press " and becoming CNN’s star at their town hall in Indiana, making him a front-runner in early election polls in South Carolina.

The spotlight on Buttigieg hasn’t been one-sided, however. While the Left largely focused their praise on the fact that he’s a gay Christian, Buttigieg has also garnered attention from those on the Right for his seemingly moderate views, including former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich:



Republicans should start paying attention to mayor pete Buttigieg. He may be the unknown outsider who grows into authenticity — Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) April 2, 2019



In an attempt to distance himself from the Christians who are supposedly full of hate, Buttigieg has attacked Vice President Mike Pence , along with evangelical Christians who voted for Trump, showing that his “authenticity” may not be in fact a good thing. His troubling authenticity goes for his policies, as well.

Last year, Buttigieg blocked a local pregnancy help center called the Women's Care Center from opening near to the anticipated location of a new abortion clinic. (The old abortion clinic in South Bend had shut down some time ago.) In public, Buttigieg argued that it would be careless for him as mayor to “situate two groups, literally right next to each other, in a neighborhood, that have diametrically opposed views on the most divisive social issue of our time.” Buttigieg additionally claimed at the time that his decision had nothing to do with the “the legality or morality of abortion.”

But in reality, there was never any concern about putting the Women's Care Center near the new clinic. In its other South Bend locations, it had long existed peacefully near to or across from abortion clinics, providing expectant mothers other nearby options, providing them with free child care, job training, diapers, toys, baby clothes, and the like. The Women's Care Center doesn't do anti-abortion activism or picketing of clinics — Buttigieg was just looking for an excuse to spare a new abortion clinic (all the others in South Bend had closed down at the time) from having a competitor nearby for women to choose instead of abortion.

Although Buttigieg has distanced himself from the identity politics of Chick-fil-A and portrayed himself as a more moderate Democrat, he is far from it. And not only when it comes to abortion.

Last month, Buttigieg praised the Green New Deal, sponsored by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., saying in an interview with Esquire that the legislation is “ sound framework .” He has also said on Twitter that he fully supports abolishing the Electoral College:

Would I support getting rid of the Electoral College? Absolutely. It's got to go. pic.twitter.com/kDbOoJe4hM — Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) March 20, 2019



While Buttigieg's attitudes about might get the more moderate voters excited, they need to understand that he is just another Democrat who is trying to portray himself as a moderate to get the nod in the primaries. As my colleague at the Washington Examiner Eddie Scarry so eloquently pointed out , Buttigieg is “a standard pro-higher taxes, pro-open borders, pro-single-payer healthcare Democrat.”