Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg nodded to the historic nature of his presidential candidacy on Tuesday during a speech in New Hampshire following news that he has an early lead in the delayed Iowa Caucus vote tally. “So, we don't know all of the numbers, but we know this much,” he said. “A campaign that started a year ago with four staff members, no name recognition, no money, just a big idea—a campaign that some said should have no business even making this attempt—has taken its place at the front of this race to replace the current president with the better vision for the future.”

Buttigieg got visibly emotional as he went on to say that his potential victory “validates for a kid somewhere in a community wondering if he belongs or she belongs or they belong in their own family”—deliberately including the gender non-binary pronoun—“that if you believe in yourself and your country, there is a lot backing up the belief.” With 62 percent of precincts reporting, Buttigieg held a narrow lead over Senator Bernie Sanders, 26.9 percent to 25.1 percent.