MIAMI – Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is working hard to be the it guy in a field of 23 Democrats running for president.
Polls now have the once-longshot candidate competing in the top five.
His rich biography is also attracting attention: He speaks multiple languages, is a former Rhodes Scholar and a military veteran. And, if he wins the primaries, he could become the first openly gay major party nominee for president.
He's so big, he’s already has his face on T-shirts.
Buttigieg is fresh from a town hall appearance Sunday night on conservative Fox News, where he took a shot at President Donald Trump’s tweets.
"I get it, look -- it's mesmerizing and hard for anyone to look away. Me too. It is the nature of grotesque things that you can't look away," he told the audience.
Now, 24 hours later, Buttigieg is in the heart of hip Miami, where he may have some work to do.
On the streets of Wynwood, many people didn’t know who Buttigieg was.