Politics

Indiana Mayor Enters 2020 Race, Will Try To Become First Gay President Ever

(Photo: DEREK HENKLE/AFP/Getty Images)

William Davis Contributor
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Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is the latest Democrat to enter the 2020 presidential race.

Buttigieg announced Wednesday morning that he was forming an exploratory committee, a rite of passage for presidential candidates. The 37-year-old will try to become the first openly gay president in American history. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Gay Trump Supporters Set The Record Straight)

Buttigieg’s campaign released an announcement video, touting his accomplishments as mayor, while advertising himself as part of a “new generation” of leaders. He also appears to take a swipe at President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.


“There is no again in the real world,” Buttigieg said. “We can’t look for greatness in the past.”

Buttigieg’s video indicated that he plans to run as a candidate ready to lead the country into the future.

“There’s a new generation of voices emerging in our country,” he said.

Buttigieg is considered a rising star in the Democratic party, and previously ran for chair of the Democratic National Committee, with the election eventually being won by former Secretary of Labor Tom Perez. Buttigieg was first elected in 2011 at the age of 29, becoming the youngest mayor ever of a major city in the U.S. Buttigieg came out as gay in a 2015 column.

His latest announcement drew praise from the LGBTQ Victory Fund, a group that works to elect LGBTQ people to office.

The Republican National Committee released a statement saying that Buttigieg should focus on the problems surrounding South Bend, before he runs for president.

“Before Buttigieg wastes time on a presidential campaign, he should focus on his town’s sea of potholes and sky-high crime rate,” RNC spokesman Michael Ahrens said. “His bid isn’t just bad news for residents, it’s more proof that Democrats are about to endure the most crowded, divisive, and contentious primary in history.”