Dem debate: Buttigieg could face attacks

ATLANTA >> Pete Buttigieg’s dramatic rise from littleknown Indiana mayor to a leading Democratic presidential candidate faces its toughest test on Wednesday, with rivals poised to lob debate-stage attacks in an effort to stall his momentum. The debate in Atlanta marks the first time Buttigieg will face other White House hopefuls as an undisputed member of the top tier.

The 37-year old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, gained significant ground in recent months in Iowa, which holds the nation’s first caucuses in February. He is bunched at the top of most polls in Iowa with candidates who have much longer political resumes: former Vice President Joe Biden and Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Some surveys are beginning to show him taking a more convincing lead in the race.