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By Beth Fouhy and Josh Lederman
Concord, N.H. – In some ways, the scene was incongruous: Pete Buttigieg, a 37-year-old Democratic presidential candidate with a message of generational change, addressing an extremely white, white-haired crowd.
However, if Buttigieg's two-day campaign crosses the nation's first state, Democratic activists are drawn to the message of the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and do not view his age as a handicap.
Indeed, many see it as an asset.
"It's time for a new generation of people. I'm almost 70 years old, we have to sit down a bit, "said Jeanie Crocket, a native of Lawrence, Mass., Who came to see Buttigieg during an election campaign.
Mary Woods, a resident of Manchester, New Hampshire, added, "I do not think age means you have wisdom or integrity. Look and what we are facing in Washington now. "
Among more than a dozen Democrats who are interested in the party's nomination, Buttigieg shone in recent weeks: a Rhodes-trained Harvard scholar, an openly gay veteran by far the most young in a very diverse field.
During his appearances in the countryside, he proudly speaks about his husband and his deployment in Afghanistan. But even he seems to realize that his age could be a tougher sale.
"I recognize that it may be a little less than having a 30-year-old Midwestern mayor in a conversation about the highest office in the country. I have the audacity, "he told several hundred people at a party in a bookstore Saturday morning. "But I also think we are in a moment that is calling for bigger changes than we have known for a long time."
Buttigieg's speech, which he calls "intergenerational", warns of a future in crisis if certain issues are not addressed, including cybersecurity and climate change.
At the New Hampshire primary in 2016, Democrats were overwhelmingly in favor of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who, at age 77, is seeking the nomination again this time.
In conversations here, many activists spoke fondly of Sanders and 76-year-old former Vice President Joe Biden, who is expected to enter the race soon. Polls indicate that both men lead the big Democratic field.
But many said they fear the two men represent the past and that they are considering a younger candidate to face President Donald Trump, 72 years old.
"I was a great guy from Bernie last time, and Bernie should get a lot of it, since he laid the groundwork for what Democrats are talking about today," said Bruce Nest, a inhabitant of Nashua. "But this guy, Pete, brings him to a whole new level. Bernie is like high school, Pete is like college.
Manchester resident Anne McDonough said more clearly: "I think Bernie's time is up. In addition, Joe Biden's time is up. "
Buttigieg timidly avoided the question of whether Sanders or Biden had exceeded their peak.
"My hope is that my personal combination of energy, education and experience will fit perfectly for this role," he told reporters. "I saw very dynamic people twice as old as me and lazy people younger than me. It's a competition of individuals, as it should be.
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