>> YEAH. >> TO SEE WHAT THE NEW SHAPE OF
THE DEMOCRATIC FIELD LOOKS LIKE.
>> SO NOW TO THE BIG NEWS FROM
LATE LAST NIGHT.
JOINING US NOW FROM SOUTH BEND,
INDIANA, MSNBC NEWS
CORRESPONDENT VAUGHN HILLIARD.
I GUESS THEY HAVE TO CHANGE THE
SIGN BEHIND YOU, VAUGHN.
>> Reporter: I DON’T KNOW.
I THINK THEY COULD AFFORD TO
LEAVE IT UP FOR A WHILE AROUND
THESE PARTS, IN THIS TOWN OF
100,000 WHERE, LOOK, I MEAN,
JUST ONE YEAR AGO FOUR OF THESE
INDIVIDUALS INCLUDING PETE
BUTTIGIEG AND HIS HUSBAND
CHASTEN LEFT SOUTH BEND TO DRIVE
TO IOWA FOR THEIR FIRST CAMPAIGN
EVENT.
EVENT. HERE IN INDIANA, SOUTH BEND IS
THE FOURTH BIGGEST CITY.
OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR
BUILT UP A CAMPAIGN OPERATION
THAT ULTIMATELY LED THEM TO AN
IOWA CAUCUS VICTORY AND NEARLY
THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMPETE
BEYOND SUPER TUESDAY IN A REAL
SHOT TO WIN THE DEMOCRATIC
NOMINATION.
NOMINATION. PETE BUTTIGIEG SUSPENDED HIS
CAMPAIGN YESTERDAY AND RETURNED
TO SOUTH BEND LAST NIGHT TO GIVE
YOU SPEECH HERE TO HIS LOCALS
BACK HOME.
BACK HOME. TAKE A LISTEN.
>> AFTER A YEAR OF GOING
EVERYWHERE, MEETING EVERYONE,
DEFINING EVERYBODY EXPECTATION,
SEEKING EVERY VOTE, THE TRUTH IS
THAT THE PATH HAS NEAR OHARROWED
CLOSE.
CLOSE. WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO
CONSIDER STAYING IN THE RACE ANY
FURTHER.
FURTHER. OUR GOAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO HELP
UNIFY AMERICANS TO DEFEAT DONALD
TRUMP AND TO WIN THE ERA FOR OUR
VALUES.
VALUES. SO TONIGHT I AM MAKING THE
DIFFICULT DECISION TO SUSPEND MY
CAMPAIGN FOR THE PRESIDENCY.
I WILL NO LONGER SEEK TO BE THE
2020 DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE FOR
PRESIDENT, BUT I WILL DO
EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO ENSURE
THAT WE HAVE A NEW DEMOCRATIC
PRESIDENT COME JANUARY.
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
>> I TALKED TO MULTIPLE CAMPAIGN
OFFICIALS LAST NIGHT AFTER
BUTTIGIEG’S ANNOUNCEMENT.
BUTTIGIEG’S ANNOUNCEMENT. THEY TOLD ME HE EXITED THIS RACE
FOR THE SAME REASON HE GOT IN.
HE WANTED TO BRING THE PARTY
TOGETHER AND USHER IN A NEW ERA
OF POLITICS.
OF POLITICS. THE REALITY IS THEY SAW WHAT ONE
CAMPAIGN OFFICIAL TOLD ME WAS "A
VERY NARROW PATH TO WINNING THE
NOMINATION."
NOMINATION." YESTERDAY MORNING HE ACTUALLY
FLEW TO PLAINS, GEORGIA, WITH
HIS HUSBAND CHASTEN TO MEET UP
WITH FORMER VICE PRESIDENT JIMMY
CARTER AND THERE HEADED TO SELMA
JOINING RESERVED SHARPTON
CROSSING THE EDMUND BRIDGE.
TO NOTE, THIS IS AN INDIVIDUAL
WHO VISITED SOUTH CAROLINA, HELD
MORE EVENTS THAN ANYBODY BESIDES
TOM STEYER.
TOM STEYER. HE STOKE ABOUT HUMILITY, EARNING
TRUST AND CREDIBILITY.
YOU SEE THE TWO INDIVIDUALS
LEADING THE DELEGATE COUNT, JOE
BIDEN AND BERNIE SANDERS.
BEEN AROUND A BIT LONGER THAN
THE 38-YEAR-OLD MAYOR.
FOR THIS CAMPAIGN TOLD ME IT
WASN’T A MATTER OF CAMPAIGN
CRASH.
CRASH. HAD THE ABILITY TO GO ON.
WOULD HAVE THEIR BEST FUND
RAISING QUARTER TO DATE.
GO BACK TO A CONVERSATION I HAD
WITH PEETE BUTTIGIEG MORNING OF
THE NEVADA PRIMARY.
HE TOLD ME THIS PARTY COULD WAKE
UP THIS MARCH 4th, SUPER
TUESDAY, WITH THE REALITY BERNIE
SANDERS COULD HAVE AN
INSURMOUNTABLE LEAD.
INSURMOUNTABLE LEAD. IT WAS THE NEED TO WIN THIS
FIELD.
FIELD. SOMEBODY TO TRULY COUNTER BERNIE
SANDERS.
SANDERS. OF COURSE COMING OUT OF IOWA AND
NEW HAMPSHIRE HOPED IT WAS THEM,
BUT THE STAKES BECAME TOO HARD
FOR THEM AND THABEY HAVE TURNED.
THE LAST NIGHT JOE BIDEN AND
PETE BUTTIGIEG EXCHANGED
VOICEMAIL CALLS AND A BUTTIGIEG
AIDE REVEALED THE CONTENTS
INCLUDING THE IDEA OF
CONSOLIDATING SUPPORT AROUND THE
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT.
JOE AND MIKA?
>> ALL RIGHT.
VAUGHN HILLIARD, THANK YOU.
JOE, I WONDER WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS
ARE HERE.
ARE HERE. SEEN
SEEN SEEMS TO ME IN SO MANY WAYS AN
A-PLUS CAMPAIGN.
A-PLUS CAMPAIGN. DID EVERYTHING RIGHT.
>> HE REALLY DID.
HE EXCEEDED ALL EXPECTATIONS.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. >> HE DROVE HIS OPPONENTS CRAZY.
BECAUSE HE WAS YOUNG.
BELIEVED HE WAS INEXPERIENCED
BUT EXTRAORDINARILY EFFECTIVE.
>> THE DEBATES.
WOW.
WOW. >> REVEREND AL, BRING YOU IN
HERE.
HERE. I SPENT THE PAST 25 YEARS
POLITELY TELLING PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATE WHO NEEDED TO DROP OUT
OF THE RACE TO PROTECT THEIR
FUTURE VIABILITY TO DROP OUT AND
RARELY DID THEY LISTEN.
I DIDN’T I WOULD NOT PRESUME TO
TALK TO MAYOR PETE ABOUT THAT,
BUT HE MADE A WISE DECISION.
HE RAN A GREAT CAMPAIGN.
MADE A WISE DECISION, AND YOU
KNOW, GEORGE WASHINGTON WON THE
WAR BECAUSE HE FIRST BECAME A
MASTER OF STRATEGIC RETREATS
DURING THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
IT’S THE SAME WITH POLITICS.
THIS WAS A STRATEGIC RETREAT FOR
MAYOR PETE, WHO RAN A GREAT
CAMPAIGN, BUT STILL HAS TO
FIGURE OUT WHEN HE RUNS AGAIN
HOW TO GET SUPPORT FROM THE
BLACK COMMUNITY.
BLACK COMMUNITY. >> CERTAINLY THAT BECOMES A
CHALLENGE LATER IN HIS CAREER,
BUT THE GOOD NEWS FOR HIM IS
THERE WILL MOST LIKELY BE A
LATER IN HIS CAREER.
I THINK --
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. >> -- HE STARTLED EVERYONE WITH
HOW WELL HE CAME OFF.
IT WAS A HISTORIC RACE BECAUSE
HE WAS ABLE TO BRING IN THE
CENTER OF MAIN STREET POLITICS
AND OPENLY LGBTQ CANDIDATE AND
AMERICA EMBRACED IT, DEMOCRATS
EMBRACED IT.
EMBRACED IT. SO HE CERTAINLY HAS PUT A MARK
IN HISTORY, AND I THINK HE
DIDN’T SPOIL IT BY STAYING TOO
LONG.
LONG. ONE OF THE THINGS THE GODFATHER
OF SOUL JAMES BROWN TAUGHT ME IS
WHEN YOU GET THE CROWD YOU KILL
THEM AND LEAVE.
YOU CAN SING PAST YOUR PEAK IF
YOU DON’T KNOW WHEN TO WALK OFF
THE STAGE, YOU CAN MAKE A GREAT
SHOW A VERY BAD DISASTER.
>> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. >> YEP.
>> YEP. >> YOU KNOW, SINATRA SAID, MIKA,
I KNOW YOU KNOW THIS.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> SINATRA, ASKED SINATRA WHAT
MADE HIM DIFFERENT THAN OTHER
SINGERS, WHY HE WAS THE
GREATEST, HE SAID, BECAUSE I DO
THE 48 BEST MINUTES AND THEN I
GET OFF THE STAGE.
I ALWAYS LEAVE THEM WANTING
MORE.
MORE. MAYOR PETE DID A SINATRA ROUTINE
LAST NIGHT.
LAST NIGHT. >> YES, HE DID.