Buttigieg: ‘We certainly need to have a strong finish here in Iowa’

Pete Buttigieg said on Sunday that his presidential campaign needs a “strong finish” in the Iowa caucuses on Monday in order to obtain the Democratic nomination.

ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked Buttigieg on “This Week” Sunday if the former South Bend, Ind. mayor  needs to place in the top three in Iowa “to be viable for the nomination.”

“We certainly need to have a strong finish here in Iowa,” Buttigieg responded.

.@GStephanopoulos: “Do you need to crack the top 3 there in Iowa to be viable for this nomination?”

Pete Buttigieg: “We certainly need to have a strong finish here in Iowa.” https://t.co/yUdgU1pLTL pic.twitter.com/JXxE6u6hBu

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 2, 2020

Buttigieg added that he thinks voters comprehend that the 2020 Democratic candidates “share largely similar values and are focused more than anything else that we have the nominee to defeat Donald Trump.”

“I believe I have the campaign best positioned to do that, the message best positioned to do that,” he said.

{mosads}The former mayor said the first chance to prove he has the “best-positioned” campaign and message is to turn people out for the Iowa caucuses and make “sure we leave it all on the field.” 

“Tomorrow is going to be a big night, and it will propel us into the states ahead,” he said.

Buttigieg is one of four candidates in a tight race to win the state’s caucuses.

A Friday poll by Park Street Strategies found former Vice President Joe Biden with a slight lead at 20 percent, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) with 18 percent support and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Buttigieg with 17 percent each.