Seattle turns out for presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg

The Showbox was bouncing with energy Tuesday night as “Mayor Pete” Buttigieg spoke at the Seattle nightclub.

The Democratic presidential candidate told the raucous crowd that it’s time to break the “political spell” cast by President Donald Trump, who he said has claimed certain American values for the Republican Party.

“Freedom, security, and democracy … they are not conservative values, they are American values that have progressive implications when we take them seriously,” Buttigieg said.

Touching on one of the president’s most recent controversies, Buttigieg said it’s unfit for a president to tell any citizen to “go back” to where they came from.

Taking questions from the crowd, Buttigieg affirmed his position on protecting abortion rights and tackling climate change with science, not politics.

When a young questioner who identified as trans asked about LGBTQ rights, Buttigieg said, “Step 1: We've got to have an Equality Act in this country that makes it a matter of federal law that you can’t discriminate against people because they are trans or LGBTQI.”

Before Buttigieg's speech, the line to get in The Showbox extended around the block.

Supporters like Sara Eaton said they like the youthfulness of the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

"To me, he reminds me of Barack Obama, which I just had incredible feelings for,” Eaton said. “Very hopeful. And, I'm excited for him."

But Eaton said he has to do more to reach out to black voters. Right now Buttigieg is polling around zero percent with African Americans.

While in town he also spoke at a private fundraiser that charged $1,000 a ticket.

You can hear his full exchange with reporters at The Showbox below. Some of the questions are hard to hear, so there's a list of them below that.

Questions that reporters asked:

• How important is Washington in the primary race?
• What do Washingtonians need to know about you?
• How do you win back blue-collar voters?
• Homelessness is a problem in Seattle and along the West Coast – what are you doing about it?
• What do you think of Seattle?
• Why do you think people here will resonate with you?
• Will you be watching the Mueller hearings in Congress?
• How will you heal America’s racial divide?
• How is your healthcare plan going to cover everyone?