Buttigieg Endorses More Than Two-Dozen Candidates for 2020
Buttigieg Endorses More Than Two-Dozen Candidates for 2020
(Bloomberg) -- Pete Buttigieg rolled out his second slate of endorsements from his political action committee on Thursday, selecting candidates who are young, running historic campaigns or from traditionally conservative areas.
The former Democratic presidential hopeful said the more than two-dozen candidates reflect the values of his campaign. Buttigieg, 38, ran for president as a political newcomer on a platform of generational change and billed himself as someone who could win over conservative areas, drawing on his Indiana upbringing. He was also the first openly gay candidate to run a major presidential campaign.
The list of endorsements includes two candidates who would be the first openly gay Black men in Congress, a Virginia man who would be the first Pakistani-American elected to the U.S. House and a transgender woman running for the state senate in Delaware.
“I’m always on the lookout for candidates who can be very clear-headed and outspoken with our values as Democrats, but at the same time, doing it in a way that resonates with independent voters and in more conservative areas,” Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, said in an interview.
He said he would be providing a range of support to the candidates, including fundraising assistance, strategic advice and offering to campaign with at least some of them in virtual events.
“We’re not saying: ‘Here’s our formula. We’re going to bring it to you,’” he said. Instead, he added, candidates are urged to “‘tell us your game plan, and then let’s talk about how we fit in.’”
Buttigieg ended his presidential operation in March just before Super Tuesday. He rose from political obscurity to win the Iowa Caucuses, but his effort faltered after he failed to make inroads with Black voters.
He quickly threw his support behind Joe Biden and has since become a high-profile surrogate for the Democratic nominee. He spoke at the Democratic National Convention and was added to the transition team’s advisory board this month.
Five of the candidates Buttigieg endorsed are running for Senate: Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in Georgia, Theresa Greenfield in Iowa, MJ Hegar in Texas and Marquita Bradshaw in Tennessee. He also endorsed 14 candidates running for the House, including Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones in New York, who together would be the first gay Black members of Congress, and Qasim Rashid in Virginia, who would be the first Pakistani-American in Congress.
He also endorsed three members of Congress who flipped seats in the 2018 midterm elections: Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Andy Kim of New Jersey and Colin Allred of Texas.
The slate also has nine candidates running for state office, including Chokwe Pitchford, who at 21 would be the youngest Michigan state representative, and Tarra Simmons, who would be the first formerly incarcerated person in the Washington State Legislature. Buttigieg also endorsed Sarah McBride, who won her primary in Delaware on Tuesday night and is poised to become the first transgender state senator in the U.S.
Buttigieg started his PAC, which is called “Win the Era,” in April and rolled out his first round of endorsements in May.
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