Credit for Pete Buttigieg’s recent rise in the polls is often given to his enthusiastic embrace of the center, as he positions himself as the younger, sharper alternative to the aging former Vice President Joe Biden. In the weeks since the October Democratic Primary debate, where Buttigieg came out swinging against his further-left rivals, he’s rocketed to first place in a handful of Iowa polls.
But there’s one thing the Buttigieg campaign is most certainly not moderate about: Goofy coordinated group dance moves. Buttigieg’s Iowa supporters have proudly performed the moves to “High Hopes” by Panic at the Disco since at least September. That’s when a video of young supporters enthusiastically spinning their arms for Mayor Pete at the famed Polk County Steak Fry was first brought to the public’s attention.
The dance didn’t really start gaining notice outside Pete Country until this month, though. According to Know Your Meme, that’s when the right, the left, and the kids began mocking it on social media.
Not everyone was so negative, though. “This dance is fun!” GrandmasforPete tweeted. “It’s an expression of JOY, the joy we have in knowing we’re backing the best candidate to Unify our country! Y’all should try it sometime. I can’t stop!”
And neither can the Buttigieg campaign. On Sunday, a staffer in New Hampshire tweeted a video from the lunch break of a “#PeteSummit,” showing dozens of people doing the Mayor Pete “High Hopes” dance as a few future Amy Klobuchar supporters remained seated.
