Editor’s Note: Jeff Yang is a frequent contributor to CNN Opinion, a featured writer for Quartz and other publications, and the co-host of the podcast “They Call Us Bruce.” He co-wrote Jackie Chan’s best-selling autobiography, “I Am Jackie Chan,” and is the editor of three graphic novels: “Secret Identities,” “Shattered” and the forthcoming “New Frontiers.” The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author. View more opinion articles on CNN. (CNN) — Last night’s marathon series of CNN town halls offered five hours of conversation with five leaders vying for the Democratic presidential nomination – each intensely interesting, newsworthy, and rich with policy and personal detail. Two second-timers were on view last night. Kamala Harris is the apparent pick for frontrunner among early-state party activists, per fivethiryeight. She is a woman of color whose heritage is rooted in both the African and Asian American communities, a former prosecutor and current US senator with decades of policy decisions and political choices behind her. Jeff Yang Her town hall was a chance to clarify her prosecutorial record and convince voters to the left of her authenticity. Pete Buttigieg is the surprising upstart with the wind at his back – the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, the youngest candidate in the race, a married gay man, a military veteran, a devout Christian with Midwest origins and Harvard creds, whose momentum as a candidate was propelled in no small part by the success of his first CNN Town Hall on March 11. His town hall was an opportunity to add policy depth to his ideas, and to reassure voters he isn’t a flash in the pan. But what was clear in Harris and Buttigieg’s appearances, and the three others preceding them Monday night, is that everyone’s goal is to stand out as the most different and compelling alternative to Donald Trump. Both Harris and Buttigieg have strong claims to the title. Harris is the candidate who most aligns with the base of the Democratic Party and its most conventional ways of positioning itself. She’s from the biggest blue state, and was a “tough on crime” attorney general, but also framed herself during her town hall as enlightened and progressive when it comes to protecting people of color, the poor, the disenfranchised, the marginalized. As Harris put it, “Right now, our country requires leaders and the top leader to, instead of using a microphone in a way that is about fueling the fan of hate … we need leadership that understands the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us, and they’ve got to stop dividing us.” For his part, Buttigieg is the current Democratic hot ticket, just 37 years old with minimal electoral experience, but with a self-assurance that belies his years. He’s from a deeply red Midwestern state, a person of faith who would have – as he pointed out last night – more military experience than any president in the past few generations, and is also a former management consultant. Speaking of the benefit of military service, Buttigieg lamented the lack of “ways to be part of that fashioning of a common character at this moment when social media and our different bubbles have us increasingly just floating in our own little parts of this country.” As her town hall kicked off, Harris’s first question was ripped from the headlines: Should Congress move toward impeachment? And her response was characteristically balanced. “I believe Congress should take steps toward impeachment,” she said. “But I’m also a realist.” She cautioned that it was unlikely that the process would lead to Trump’s removal, given Republican control of the Senate. Harris rang a bell of ambivalence that would echo throughout the night. She sounded the refrain of “let’s have that conversation” when asked tough questions about reparations, about giving prisoners the right to vote, and about too many issues that deserve study, but, frankly, demand her decisiveness. Realistically, politicians have to consider and debate. But rhetorically? Americans want strength, conviction and confidence – and are tired of “consider both sides” as a fallback. But Harris shone when she was asked about matters relating to her personal life and experience. Asked about Medicare For All, she gave an unqualified vote of support. And the real point scored came when she then discussed her mother – “five feet tall. If you ever met her, you would have thought she was seven feet tall” – a cancer researcher who herself died of cancer. Harris spoke compellingly of the heartbreak of dealing with a terminally ill loved one, of “anticipatory grief” and the grueling and cruel way our health systems deal with patients and families alike. Harris also gave an impassioned defense of her record as a prosecutor supporting tough enforcement of anti-truancy laws. “I took a look at who the homicide victims were who were under the age of 25,” she said, and learned that “94% of them were high school dropouts,” she said. “I said what we have got to do is pay attention to the fact that these children aren’t in school and put all the resources necessary to get them in school and give their parents the resources, hold the school districts accountable…” She added: “As a result of our initiative, first of all, nobody went to jail … we improved attendance by over 30%.” Her record generated the biggest applause when she talked about refusing to defend the anti-gay-marriage act, Proposition 8, saying it was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court agreed, “and the wedding bells rang across the country. I’m very proud of that. … I was marrying same-sex couples at San Francisco City Hall.” Buttigieg also brought focus to controversial policy decisions of the past: his most provocative actions as mayor of South Bend included a campaign to raze abandoned properties in poor neighborhoods to raise property values and reduce crime. While some have criticized the initiative as disproportionately impacting minority property owners, Buttigieg countered that it was people in those neighborhoods who were asking for action. “I just thought these neighborhoods are never going to be as safe as we want them to be unless we do something and act fast,” he said, pointing to how the program also invested in the community and increased funds for law enforcement. “The number-one complaint that we heard, especially from low- income and minority homeowners in the neighborhoods that we addressed, was what took you so long?’” Law enforcement was the subject of another key question on Buttigieg’s record: His decision to demote South Bend’s first black police chief after it was found out that he’d secretly recorded some of his officers to determine if racially biased language was being used by white cops in his department. Buttigieg professed ignorance of the details of the taping while also acknowledging that “one of the things I realized was that while I was absorbed in just making sure that we weren’t tripping on any landmines related to laws about what you can and can’t record, I was, frankly, a little bit slow to understand just how much anguish underlay the community’s response to this.” But elsewhere, Buttigieg spoke with remarkable clarity and energetic purpose. He said the political and economic system “needs to be changed profoundly” and that “what’s at stake right now is how to win not just an election, but an era.” He clearly stated that Trump “deserves impeachment, but I’m also going to leave it to the House and Senate to figure that out, because my role in the process is trying to relegate Trumpism to the dust bin of history … especially to get Republicans to abandon this kind of deal with the devil they made.” He said that candidates talking too much about Trump led many Americans to feel like they were talking too little about them. Get our free weekly newsletter Sign up for CNN Opinion's new newsletter. Join us on Twitter and Facebook<doc-sep>California Democrats are beginning to gather around Pete Buttigieg, leaving Kamala Harris in an increasingly tenuous position. Democrat strategist Garry South has watched the Buttigieg wave break on California shores. “I think the amazing thing is that nobody is ceding California to Kamala Harris … no one is abandoning California to the native daughter — which tells you something,’’ he said. “Why would he come out here and spend four days if he thought she had California locked up?” Even Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti seems torn by the developments, although his commentary would suggest that he sees the writing on the wall. “I love Kamala Harris, she’s a dear friend,’’ he hedged, but said Buttigieg “is one of my closest mayor friends.” “Mayor Pete is the flavor of the month, he’s really excited people, particularly in the LGBT community,’’ Los Angeles attorney Jessica Levinson said, though she admitted “[Harris] actually has more specific policies than he does.” Melissa Rivers, star of Fashion Police and The Apprentice, agrees, though she is herself a staunch supporter of former Vice President Joe Biden. “[Buttigieg] does interest me, because he’s so multifaceted,” she said. “It’s going to be very hard. If you don’t like that he’s gay, you’ll like that he’s a military guy,’’ she continued. “If you don’t like that he’s a military guy, you’re going to like that he’s a mayor. It backs people into a corner because there’s nothing to attack him on.’’ Susie Tompkins Buell, a major Democrat donor and friend of Hillary Clinton, previously came out strong in support of Harris’s candidacy. Now she is wavering. She has announced that she will be fundraising for Buttigieg. “He adds a rich, deep, thoughtful and resonant voice to the conversation and it’s evident that the country is responding to him,” she wrote in an April e-mail to friends and allies. “He is a special guy and formidable candidate.” “We have a lot of people who are very candidate curious,’’ Mayor Garcetti concluded. “Kamala has a ton of love up and down the state, but people might say, ‘That doesn’t mean I’m not going to shop around … Maybe I’ll keep her as my senator and go with somebody else as president.’”<doc-sep>In a phone interview with POLITICO Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom — who took office in January and has endorsed Harris in the 2020 race — noted that the entry of former Vice President Joe Biden creates more competition for the nearly 500 delegates that will be up for grabs in the 2020 primary. | AP Photo/Richard Vogel Newsom touts Harris, but says Buttigieg is 'many people’s second choice' SACRAMENTO — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said home-state senator Kamala Harris is outperforming her 2020 rivals across the board — but told POLITICO that Pete Buttigieg “tends to be many people’s second choice — if he’s not already a first." It’s more evidence that the South Bend, Indiana mayor's campaign is playing hard in heavily Democratic California, which will play a bigger role than usual in choosing the party’s nominee thanks to an early March 3 primary. More immediately, at least 14 Democratic 2020 contenders are currently slated to attend California’s Democratic convention from May 31 to June 2. In a phone interview with POLITICO Thursday, Newsom — who took office in January and has endorsed Harris in the 2020 race — noted that the entry of former Vice President Joe Biden creates more competition for the nearly 500 delegates that will be up for grabs in the 2020 primary. Biden, he said is “formidable beyond words, profoundly respected, deeply loved by a good core of the Democratic party,” and “obviously has a foreign policy portfolio and resume that is difficult for others to compete with.’’ But, Newsom warned, “he’s going to have to compete [in California] because there are obviously a lot of other candidates that excel in other ways.” Though Biden “started off quite well,’’ Newsom said, “I don’t see him walking into this’’ with an easy win in the nation’s most populous state. Newsom also strongly defended Harris, a former state attorney general, saying that her campaign has been “outperforming” rivals across the board. Asked about a New York Times report suggesting Harris’ campaign has attempted a “reset,’’ Newsom said he strongly disagreed, arguing that Harris has been “in top two-tier status from the day she announced. ... Compare that quite literally to 20 other candidates.’’ But Newsom said Buttigieg's campaign reached out to him Thursday, and that he’s “enthusiastically” anticipating a chance to speak to the candidate. “Literally today, someone [with the campaign] asked if they could give him my number — and I was very humbled by that. And of course, I enthusiastically said yes,’’ Newsom told POLITICO. “I just read his book and it’s quite good. It’s fascinating how many people are supporting him, as they’re supporting someone else. He tends to be many people’s second choice — if he’s not already a first,’’ he said. Newsom is scheduled to star at a San Francisco fundraiser with Harris later this month hosted by Ann and Gordon Getty, according to invites that have gone out. Newsom said he wasn’t worried that the wide-ranging field of Democratic candidates were tacking too far to the left. “No, they’ve not. They’re debating. ... The parameters have expanded — and that’s a healthy thing,’’ he said. “There’s an ample number of candidates that offers an completely different path and vision on, for example, health care and Medicare for all. … There’s broad strokes and commitment to universal access, and that’s important.”<doc-sep>
On Saturday, Pete Buttigieg gave a speech at an event sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign in Las Vegas. We were told by reporters like Josh Lederman that he used the opportunity to call Democrats out for playing “identity politics.” In a risky speech to the Human Rights Campaign, a major LGBT rights group, Buttigieg warned of a “crisis of belonging in this country,” arguing it was exacerbated by “so-called identity politics” that emphasize how one person hasn’t walked in another’s shoes — “something that is true, but it doesn’t get us very far.”… “What I worry about is not the president’s fantasy wall on the Mexican border that’s not going to get built anyway,” Buttigieg said. “What I worry about are the very real walls that we are putting up between us as we get divided and carved up.”… Buttigieg offered the most pointed critique of his own party so far in the campaign, in a moment that had echoes of Bill Clinton’s “Sistah Souljah” moment in 1992 when he distanced himself from a black political activist who had made controversial comments about race. “When an auto worker, 12 years into their career, is no longer sure how to provide for their family, they’re not part of the country we think of ourselves as all living in together. That’s why we can’t seem to get on the same page,” Buttigieg said Those are the kinds of quotes that have led to criticism of Buttigieg from women and people of color. They not only sound dismissive of the issues those groups face on a daily basis, they also contribute to the narrative that has developed about Buttigieg being yet another white male candidate who has prioritized reaching out to white working class voters at their expense. But before jumping on that bandwagon, I decided to actually listen to Buttigieg’s speech and soon realized that it had nothing to do with how it was being reported in the media. I encourage you to watch it yourself. The part where he talks about identity politics starts at about the 19:00 minute mark. If you watch from the beginning, you’ll note that Buttigieg spends the first several minutes expressing his gratitude to the LBGTQ movement that paved the way for him being the first openly gay elected official in Indiana and secured his right to marriage. That doesn’t sound like the words of a man who is eschewing the importance of political advocacy on behalf of those who have been marginalized. Buttigieg begins talking about identity politics by rightly noting that many of the objections to it come from conservatives, which is ironic, given that they are currently consumed with white identity politics. But the point he wants to make is that the crisis we face is actually about one of belonging—who gets included and who doesn’t. Utilizing a word that has been foundational to every liberal movement, Buttigieg says that “we could begin to see in our identity a new form of American solidarity.” He then goes on to tie the knot between different forms of marginalization felt by a gay white man, a trans woman of color, an undocumented mother of four, a disabled veteran, or a displaced auto worker. Buttigieg notes that each of those people have a story that “can be the building blocks, not only for empathy, but for the impetus to action.” That is a powerful message that Mayor Pete undercut when he implied that identify politics have introduced “divisive lines of thinking” that have entered Democrats’ mindset. I’m sure that it is possible to find Democrats who use identity politics to divide, but as even Buttigieg noted, that is the wheelhouse of Republicans these days. Kamala Harris is another 2020 presidential candidate who has addressed the issue of identity politics. At a recent speech, she described the Democratic Party this way: As a party, we can’t let ourselves be drawn into thinking in those boxes or falling into those assumptions. We cannot get dragged into simplistic narratives or yesterday’s politics. Why? Because it’s a conversation that ignores our commonality and complexity. Our party is the UAW line worker at GM worried about getting laid off. Our party is the young entrepreneur looking for access to capital so he or she can participate in the economic rebirth of their city. Our party is the teacher who is underpaid and undervalued in Dearborn. Our party is the senior citizen in Lansing who deserves to retire with dignity.