“This is a movement,” said James Sands, who leads the group with Clagett. “He’s articulate. He’s smart. He’s the real deal.”

Indeed, to the supporters buzzing around the second floor of the bar, which had been decorated with streamers and a cardboard cutout of the mayor, Buttigieg isn’t just experiencing a temporary bump. Instead, he’s well on his way to securing the Democratic nomination, a victory that, they argue, will come from his singular ability to bring the entire party together. And at this point, they’re all in. They just have to persuade the rest of the party’s base to get on board—not an uncomplicated task.

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Buttigieg has had several “moments” throughout the past year where he’s gained traction in the press and the polls, including in October, when his national popularity ticked upward after he criticized Senator Elizabeth Warren for her views on health care. The past few New Hampshire polls have shown Buttigieg with a double-digit lead. In Iowa, he has started polling among the top four candidates, and last weekend, a survey from the Des Moines Register offered a jaw-dropping result: Buttigieg, it found, has the support of 25 percent of likely Iowa caucus-goers.

The watch party, then, was a big deal for Buttigieg’s D.C. fan club. It was the first debate in which the Indiana Democrat would be perceived as a genuine campaign front-runner, and Clagett and Sands had gone all out for the occasion, passing out magnets and T-shirts and copies of the U.S. Constitution emblazoned with DC for Pete stickers. The two had also prepared a game of bingo, with squares containing words and phrases such as Chasten and first gentleman—references to Buttigieg’s husband—for which the winner would receive a copy of A Warning, the new book from an anonymous Trump-administration official.

Buttigieg’s supporters at the watch party offered a few policy-related reasons for backing him: They appreciate his dedication to fighting climate change, for example, and his promises to end gerrymandering. But more often, they framed Buttigieg as a kind of healer for the country—the Great American Unifier.

“His message reminds me of the hope and change from 2008,” said Kelly Ganzberger, a 38-year-old attorney, as waiters walked by carrying platters of oysters, fried calamari, and shrimp. She likes Warren too, but sees the senator as a better fit for Congress than the White House. “Warren is all about the fighting, and I think that’s a good trait to have in the Senate,” she said. “Whereas the president is more about coalition building and bringing people together.” Ganzberger, who is originally from Michigan, told me that several of her family members are moderate Republicans. “Some of the more extreme candidates are not welcoming them,” she said. “And Pete is just that perfect candidate, where if you’re progressive, he’s got your back, but also if you’re a little bit center-left, he’s got your back too.”