Pete Buttigieg returned to New Hampshire this week riding a wave of momentum generated by his surprisingly strong Iowa finish. But he was greeted by pushback from some of the most powerful women in the state, who saw a double standard in his declaration of victory in Iowa late Monday.

In their view, the 38-year-old mayor’s unexpected assertion — a calculated political statement delivered without any accompanying evidence at the time — smacked of “white male privilege,” “hubris” and a lack of equanimity that a female candidate would be criticized for.

“In a moment where he should show composure and measure, he’s not doing that,” said Jenn Alford-Teaster, a Sen. Elizabeth Warren supporter and Democratic activist running for state Senate. ”But he’s going to get away with it because that’s what happens when you’re a man. You can do whatever you want. For women, we’re held to a different standard and it’s demoralizing as a candidate and it’s demoralizing as a voter.”