2020 hopeful Buttigieg engages with protesters at Coralville town hall

Zachary Oren Smith | Press Citizen

CORALVILLE — A long line stretched around the Coralville Marriott Hotel & Convention Center. Approximately 2,000 people came out Sunday afternoon to hear 2020 hopeful Pete Buttigieg close out his tour through Iowa.

Looking around at the crowd, the South Bend mayor scanned past waving Pete 2020 posters and zeroed in on white signs with red letters reading: “0% support w/ black voters in S.C.” “Climate plan fatally lacking.” “We need more than Pete.”

A negative narrative dogging Buttigieg as his popularity rises in Iowa has been whether he can garner the support of black voters. Despite surges in early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire, some argue the diversity of these states make them a poor barometer for how a candidate will perform in more diverse states going forward.

Just a few minutes into his speech, Buttigieg referred to the protesters.

“This is a competitive process. That’s fine. We welcome and support and hope to win over anyone who is not yet with us,” he told the crowd. Then, he added, “I would humbly suggest” the protesters lift their candidate up rather than attacking others.

Virginia Miller of Solon said this is exactly why she came.

“I know politics can be a contact sport so I want to be prepared when I get into that conversation,” Miller said. “I want to know the facts rather than just saying, 'I like him' or 'he’s good-looking.' I want to be able to say this is what he said and I got a lot of that today.”

Miller, 78, said she has voted in every election since she was old enough. In the past, she caucused for Biden and then for Sanders.

“But they’re my age,” Miller said. “I think it is time to turn the page and let a younger person try it. They’ve got to do better than what is happening now.”

If Miller is a reliable attendee on caucus night, Trudy Conklin of North Liberty said she is far from it.

“I’ve never been to a political event in my entire life and that is how bad I want to see things change,” Conklin said. “I don’t even want to turn on the T.V. anymore. Nothing but negative and embarrassing. Our country is becoming a laughingstock because of our current administration.”

She said she is excited for her first caucus, where she’ll be supporting Buttigieg.

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Zachary Oren Smith writes about government, growth and development for the Press-Citizen. Reach him at zsmith@press-citizen.com or 319 -339-7354, and follow him on Twitter via @zacharyos.