Fox News’ Chris Wallace today said there’s no question Mayor Pete Buttigieg has stolen Beto O’Rourke‘s thunder––and that it has to do with the level of “substance” he’s bringing.

Sandra Smith brought up a poll showing Buttigieg in third in Iowa. “Notably absent there is Beto O’Rourke,” she added, before bringing up a Washington Post piece with the headline “How Buttigieg stole Beto’s mojo.”

Wallace, after joking about how much better the news media is getting at pronouncing Mayor Pete’s last name, said, “He’s a really intriguing figure.”

He noted the name recognition issue for Buttigieg compared to Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, before saying he’s still managed to make an impression:

“He’s a very impressive guy. He’s a Rhodes scholar. He took a leave of absence as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana to serve in Afghanistan. He’s smart as the dickens. He’s got some issues. He’s 37 years old, he’s only been the mayor of a small town of 100,000 people… but it certainly is true that he is the bright shiny object on the horizon and there’s no question that he has stolen the thunder of Beto O’Rourke because frankly, there’s more substance there. He actually has––you can like them or dislike them, but he has interesting, refreshing ideas.”

You can watch above, via Fox News.

[image via screengrab]

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