evidence: Pete Buttigieg, a little-known mayor of a modest-sized Midwest city, has become an unlikely rising star in the 2020 Democratic presidential field. How? [...] Buttigieg has become the hot candidate of the moment. On Sunday, in South Bend, he will formally announce the launch of his presidential campaign, probably before an enthusiastic and adoring crowd. [...] Buttigieg has developed a reputation as an intellectual - he reportedly speaks seven languages and lists Ulysses by James Joyce as a favourite book - and a policy nerd. As a presidential candidate, his proposals are a mix of ambitious governmental reform and incremental legislative advances.