On January 23, openly gay Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, announced he had formed an exploratory committee to consider running for president of the United States.
Today, the 37-year-old (he would be the youngest person running for the White House) shared a video via social media teasing an upcoming announcement on April 14, which will probably be his official entry into the 2020 presidential race.
During an appearance on Good Morning America today, Buttigieg showed he has no problem standing up to and pointing out Donald Trump’s many misleading statements.
In response to the Donald’s claims that Medicare-for-all and the proposed “Green New Deal” are ‘socialist’ ideas,
Buttigieg called the language, “A tactic that takes us back to the darkest days of the ’50s when you could use the word ‘socialist’ to kill somebody’s career, or to kill an idea, but that trick has been tried so many times that I think it’s losing all meaning.”
He also highlighted the conservative origins of the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, as an example of a proposal on which the GOP flip-flopped on positions.
“The Affordable Care Act was a conservative idea that Democrats borrowed and they called that ‘socialist,’ so it’s kind of like the boy who cried wolf,” he continued. “It’s lost all power I think, especially for my generation of voters. Folks just want to know whether an idea is a good idea or not; and slapping a label on it, especially in a careless way that doesn’t make any sense, I don’t think it moves the debate.”
The young mayor then listed several issues that large majorities of Americans support – universal background checks for firearms, comprehensive immigration reform, paid family leave – but Congress can’t seem to address.
It was another strong appearance that explains why in a short time he’s surpassed several big name politicians in the polls, even tying with Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Mayor Pete also took a moment backstage at GMA to show off his language skills (he speaks 7 languages):
Mayor @PeteButtigieg says Good Morning America in all the languages he knows (It’s a lot)
Democratic White House hopeful Mayor Pete Buttigieg tells USA Today he’s not sure if Donald Trump is a Christian.
Does Buttigieg think Trump is a Christian? “I’m reluctant to comment on another person’s faith, but I would say it is hard to look at this president’s actions and believe that they’re the actions of somebody who believes in God,” he said.
“I just don’t understand how you can be as worshipful of your own self as he is and be prepared to humble yourself before God. I’ve never seen him humble himself before anyone. And the exaltation of yourself, especially a self that’s about wealth and power, could not be more at odds with at least my understanding of the teachings of the Christian faith.”
While Buttigieg is a gay man, married in the Episcopal Church he attends, he urges those who support LBGTQ rights to “beckon people onto the right side of history (rather) than … drag people there. If someone feels harassed and put upon by us, at the very moment we’re demanding tolerance and acceptance, one consequence is that we can leave them with nowhere to go but the religious right.”
Openly gay Mayor Pete Buttigieg announced today his team raised over $7 million in the first quarter of 2019 for his potential presidential campaign.
“This is just a preliminary analysis, but our team’s initial report shows we raised over $7 million dollars in Q1 of this year,” tweeted Mayor Pete. “We (you) are out-performing expectations at every turn. I’ll have a more complete analysis later, but until then: a big thank you to all our supporters.”
This is just a preliminary analysis, but our team’s initial report shows we raised over $7 million dollars in Q1 of this year. We (you) are out-performing expectations at every turn. I’ll have a more complete analysis later, but until then: a big thank you to all our supporters. pic.twitter.com/rDmTEiTfCs
In an email to supporters Monday morning, Buttigieg added, “With a first fundraising report like this, we certainly cannot be ignored.”
Even though he has only announced an exploratory committee and not officially entered the race, the 37-year-old’s campaign haul definitely puts him squarely on the map.
Although, the South Bend mayor will still have some catching up to do.
CNN reports that Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont reported taking in $5.9 million the first day of his campaign. And former Rep. Beto O’Rourke raised $6.1 million in the 24 hours after his announcement.
In addition to campaign dollars, Democratic White House hopefuls are also looking to qualify for the first two debates according to the rules set by the Democratic National Committee.
To take the stage for those all-important debates, candidates must show donations from at least 65,000 individuals from 20 states, or earn at least 1% support in multiple polls.
Buttigieg has already announced he’s surpassed the 65,000 threshold.
Thanks to you, we hit the @TheDemocrats 65,000 donor goal in order to be invited to the first debate. But we are going to need to raise a lot more money to compete. pic.twitter.com/SCOAZ20UuG
A recent Emerson Poll of Iowa caucus-goers, Buttigieg surged to a double-digit third place garnering 11% support behind former Vice President Joe Biden (25%) and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont (24%).
In the January edition of that same poll, Buttigieg was getting zero percent support.
Even though he’s the youngest contender in the Democratic field, Buttigieg points to his two terms as mayor as well as his experience as a military veteran as worthy credentials that more than qualify him for the presidency.
Just a few weeks ago, we were seeing comments like, “Never gonna happen” in reference to a realistic run by Buttigieg.
Now, that statement doesn’t seem to be so accurate.
Openly gay presidential hopeful Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, has jumped to a double-digit (11%) third-place ranking in a new Iowa poll.
Eleven percent of likely Democratic Iowa caucus goers surveyed by Emerson Polling said they would pick Buttigieg to be their 2020 presidential nominee.
Overall, Buttigieg placed third behind Former Vice President Joe Biden, at 25 percent, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), at 24 percent.
The only other candidate to receive double-digit support was Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), who was the choice for 10 percent of respondents.
“The biggest surprise in this poll is Mayor Pete, last week we saw him inching up in our national poll, and now he’s in double digits in Iowa, America is going to be asking who is ‘Mayor Pete’?” Spencer Kimball, director of the Emerson Poll, said.
Buttigieg, who has formed an exploratory committee but has not officially declared, was polling at 0 percent in Emerson’s January survey of Iowa, which shows his recognition and support have grown significantly in the last few months.
South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg called out Donald Trump this week after the Trumpster whined that he wasn’t “thanked” for “approving” the late Senator John McCain’s funeral.
“I gave him the kind of funeral that he wanted, which as president I had to approve,” Trump told supporters at a factory in Ohio, even though it was Congress that allowed McCain to lie in state.
“I don’t care about this, I didn’t get a thank you. That’s OK,” Trump complained.
This being seven months later, I’m not so sure how “OK” he really is with it since he brought it up.
Buttigieg, who is running for president, clapped back at Trump, bringing up the topic of Trump’s draft dodging by faking bone spurs, while McCain fought in the Vietnam War and was held as a prisoner of war for six years.
“When a president (who faked a disability in order to avoid serving) attacks a departed war hero, it’s for attention,” Buttigieg tweeted.
When a president (who faked a disability in order to avoid serving) attacks a departed war hero, it’s for attention.
We should honor the late Senator McCain, and also follow his example by focusing not on the behavior of the president but on the future of our country.
Incidentally, NBC News reports that the National Cathedral rebuked Trump’s claim he “approved” McCain’s funeral.
In a statement Thursday, a spokesperson for the Cathedral said relatives organize funerals and it doesn’t need approval from the president.
“Washington National Cathedral was honored to host the funeral service for Senator John McCain. All funerals and memorial services at the Cathedral are organized by the family of the deceased; only a state funeral for a former president involves consultation with government officials. No funeral at the Cathedral requires the approval of the president or any other government official,” read the statement.
• Finally, a public bathroom sign (above) that makes sense.
• The Advocate takes a look at newly-announced presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke’s history on LGBTQ issues.
• GOP Sen. Ted Cruz has been fined $35,000 for failing to disclose $1 million in campaign funds.
• Michael Jackson fans are suing his alleged victims for taking part in the recent HBO documentary Leaving Neverland for sullying the memory of the pop star.
• Indie singer/songwriter/producer Lauv (nominated for “Best New Pop Artist at the 2019 iHeart Radio Music Awards) drops his stripped-down video of hit single “i’m so tired…” with Troye Sivan.
Lauv said on the stripped performance, “Troye and I went to Henson Recording Studios to make this acoustic version of ‘i’m so tired…’ and we ended up including the infamous bridge. Also, Troye is an angel…go check it out and enjoy.”
Troye added, “I’ve had the insane joy of playing this song live now for the last few weeks and have never felt a ground swell like this for a song I’m on before. So excited to put out this acoustic version of ‘i’m so tired…’ with Lauv!”
Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks at CNN Town Hall in Austin, TX
Openly gay Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, appears to be building some momentum in his bid to become the Democratic candidate for president in 2020.
This past weekend, Buttigieg took part in a CNN town hall at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.
Also taking solo turns on the stage were Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland.
But by many accounts, it was Mayor Pete who found the most traction.
While he isn’t out-polling former Vice President Joe Biden or Sen. Bernie Sanders, Buttigieg showed he knew how to make the most of an opportunity.
Veteran political expert and chief strategist for the Obama campaigns, David Axelrod, gave Buttigieg high marks and predicted an uptick in his standing among the other candidates.
I have rarely seen a candidate make better use of televised Town Hall than @PeteButtigieg is on @CNN tonight. Crisp, thoughtful and relatable. He’ll be a little less of a long shot tomorrow.
During his hour onstage, the 37-year-old displayed impressive poise and composure while throwing some shade on the Trump/Pence administration, including his now infamous “cheerleader for the porn star presidency” description of Vice President Mike Pence.
The former Navy intelligence officer and Afghanistan war veteran also took aim at Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor, John Bolton, who has defended the invasion of Iraq for years.
Referencing Bolton’s suggestion that the U.S. use military force in the current conflict in Venezuela, Buttigieg replied, “I don’t understand how somebody leading us into the Iraq War is allowed near that situation.”
He also addressed some issues specific to the LGBTQ community.
The two-term mayor reaffirmed his support for the Equality Act, which would bring uniform civil rights protections to LGBTQs across the nation by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to existing civil righs laws.
He also called for an end to the “war on trans Americans.”
“For a transgender teen to get the signal from the White House that the highest officials in the land can’t tell the difference between her and a predator and make it harder for her to go to the bathroom shows you just how out of whack the climate is in our country right now. We’ve got to end the war on trans Americans and we need a federal Equality Act that would say that you cannot be fired just because of who you are or just because you love.”
Mayor Pete Buttigieg: “We’ve got to end the war on trans Americans and we need a federal equality act that would say that you cannot be fired just because of who you are or just because you love.” pic.twitter.com/85wKS9OLho
There was also a fairly innocuous but human moment that occurred when CNN’s Jake Tapper tried to clarify how to pronounce the mayor’s last name.
Noting that Buttigieg’s husband has indicated a slightly different pronunciation (“I don’t want to get in the middle of a marital squabble, but…”), Tapper asked the mayor for the definitive answer.
Buttigieg said his name quickly (which sounded like ‘Booda-judge’) but added that either option worked, and at home, he just goes by “Mayor Pete.”
The day when reporters blithely ask a presidential candidate about daily interactions with his husband has come.
This moment during the @PeteButtigieg town hall with @jaketapper made me emotional. A discussion of something silly like the spousal bickering of a same-sex couple treated normally is something I wish I had as a kid. We don’t want special rights. We want what everyone else has pic.twitter.com/swfwTsUkwi
Clearly sensing the appearance had gone well, Buttigieg was the only participant in the town hall to make a direct appeal from the stage for donations to his campaign.
According to CNN, Buttigieg had the single biggest fundraising day of his 2020 campaign after his appearance raising more than $600,000 from over 22,200 donations in the 24 hours after the event.
