Before the unofficial kickoff to the 2020 Democratic primary season, most politically engaged people outside of the state of Indiana had never heard of South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

This past January, Buttigieg created an exploratory committee, and that's when "Mayor Pete" started attracting the attention of the media. In many cases, he was fawned over by news anchors and praised disproportionately in print. His credentials remained, for the most part, unexamined.

Buttigieg went to Harvard and then Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. He speaks multiple languages, served in the military and if elected, would become the first gay president in United States history. He picked fights early on with Vice President Mike Pence because of his views on gay marriage — and he attracted a lot of positive attention because of it.

Donations began pouring in, and consistently coverage positively affected polling numbers. When his name got into the mix at the end of March, Buttigieg had the support of 1.8 per cent of Democratic voters. Now? He's at just over 7 per cent, which is the same as Kamala Harris and behind only Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Joe Biden. That's pretty impressive in a field of nearly 25 candidates.

But what does anyone really know about Buttigieg and his actual record as mayor? Earlier this year, Buttigieg bragged to the panel on MSNBC's Morning Joe that his role as mayor prepared him more for the presidency than a senator. Specifically, he said, "When you're a mayor, especially in a strong mayor system like ours where we don't have a city manager, you get the call. And it could be anything from an economic development puzzle for a multi-million dollar deal in an industrial park, to deciding whether to operate the emergency operation center for a weather emergency or an officer-involved shooting with racial tension where you've got to hold a community together."

Those words came back to haunt Buttigieg as he had to deal with that very officer-involved shooting episode he claimed he could handle a few days ago. On 16 June, a white South Bend police officer shot and killed Eric Logan, 54, a black man, after the officer claimed Logan came at him with a knife. The officer never turned on his body camera, and that has only heightened suspicion over the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

It was Buttigieg's response that allowed the cracks to show in the veneer of the once-pristine candidate. Buttigieg seemed rattled when speaking with protestors in South Bend. When one person confronted him and asked, "You running for president and you expect black people to vote for you?", Buttigieg responded, "I'm not asking for your vote."

That's a rookie mistake. As any campaign manager worth their salt will tell you, the last thing you should do is tell someone you’re not looking for their vote on the campaign trail.

And then the situation went from bad to worse. Buttigieg again seem blindsided by the angry reactions of some people during a town hall he convened to address the police shooting. People called him a "liar" and yelled, "We don't trust you!” as he struggled to gain control of the situation or provide reassurance. Buttigieg, the calm, cool, and collected guy people saw in green rooms across America, suddenly did not have answers.

People may hold this up as just one example, but it's a critical example. Buttigieg became flustered and unsure of himself after one crisis involving two individuals in his hometown. What's he expected to do on the national stage when the going gets tough, and even more lives are on the line?

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege” Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

That’s not to say Buttigieg is to blame for the shooting. But how he's handling the situation certainly makes it appear he's not ready for prime time — and makes him look extremely foolish after spending months disparaging the experience of United States senators.