Mayor Buttigieg's chances at the 2020 nomination

WESTERVILLE, OH. --   Twelve candidates will be on stage for the crucial debate at Otterbein University including South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

A big question experts are asking is does the mayor have a chance at the 2020 nomination.

ABC57’s Tiffany Salameh spoke with a history professor at Otterbein University who said the democratic nomination may not be out of reach for Buttigieg.

“At this point in late 2007, nobody thought Barrack Obama would win the democratic party’s nomination for president,” Associate Professor of History at OU Anthony Destefanis said.

Polling with 6 percent of the vote, South Bend Mayor Pete is sitting just behind the front runners ahead of the debate in Ohio

He’s trailing Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders. All three candidates are ahead of him by more than 5 percent and because of that, many are calling his chance at the nomination a long shot. But DeStephanis thinks there is still an opportunity for the mayor to legitimize himself in the race.

“Having a really good organization in Iowa and getting people out there to caucus for you really matter,” DeStephanis said. “That’s how Barrack Obama turned himself into a legitimate candidate so if Mayor Pete can do that, then I think the dynamic of the race will change.”

Mayor Buttigieg recognizing that opportunity himself, telling ABC57’s Tiffany Salameh his goal during tonight’s debate is to get more people on board with his vision for a new generation in Washington.

“We know most voters have not made up their minds, even in Iowa, where campaigns have been visiting for month,” Buttigieg said. “Only one out of five voters says they’re sure of how they’re going to vote. That show just how much opportunity there is and just how much work lies ahead.”