Buttigieg plans major donor meetings around Iowa party dinner
October 31, 2019
Pete Buttigieg's senior campaign staff will meet with major donors for a series of strategy events in Iowa over the weekend, according to a schedule obtained by POLITICO.
The events are scheduled around Buttigieg’s speech at the Iowa Democratic Party’s Liberty and Justice Celebration dinner this weekend in Des Moines, where senior staff will brief Buttigieg backers at a series of dinners and strategy sessions. Buttigieg's campaign held similar donor retreats ahead of the Democratic National Committee's first presidential debate in June and the Polk County Steak Fry, an Iowa political tradition, in September.
Buttigieg, a fundraising juggernaut in 2019, has leaned on high-dollar donors to help fuel his campaign, bringing in more than $19 million during the third quarter — though he has also raised significant money in smaller amounts online. Buttigieg is getting about twice as much support in polls of Iowa caucusgoers as he is in national Democratic primary surveys, and the South Bend, Ind., mayor’s campaign rushed to build out a big, on-the-ground campaign infrastructure in Iowa this fall.
Friday's dinner marks one of the final Iowa cattle calls for all the 2020 presidential candidates before February's caucuses, and the event is seen by campaigns as a potential launch pad for a successful result in a little over three months. Buttigieg's campaign advised its donors that they will receive a "golden yellow, short-sleeved 'Iowa for Pete' t-shirt" to wear during the event to "help our supporters stand out in the crowded stadium."
Buttigieg's campaign also urged its supporters to follow the campaign's "rules of the road" and "embody the guiding values that shape our campaign and guide our actions."
The retreat schedule includes breakout meetings and a workshop on fundraising "best practices" on Saturday, featuring Anthony Mercurio, the campaign's national investment director, and Swati Mylavarapu, the national investment chair. A private event for "Women for Pete" is planned for Saturday evening, as well as a closing dinner for all of the Buttigieg donors and supporters.
While donors will meet with senior staff this weekend, Buttigieg is expected to hit the road again with another all-access, three-day bus tour across northern Iowa. Buttigieg kicked off his first bus tour in September.
Source: https://www.politico.com/
