mobanmarketSouth Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D), who Wednesday announced an exploratory committee for a presidential run, disputed speculation that he is not seasoned enough to be elected in 2020, noting his experience level compared to President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE’s.
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“I have more years of experience in government than the president of the United States does, I have more years of executive experience than the vice president of the United States has, and I have more military experience than the two of them put together,” Buttigieg, a 37-year-old Navy Reserve veteran, said on KCBS radio.
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“I get that I’m the youngest person in this conversation, but I also believe that experience is one of the reasons I should be in the mix. The experience of guiding the comeback of a city that was written off in national media as dying at the beginning of this decade and is now growing again in the industrial Midwest not through nostalgia, not through resentment, but through real problem solving, getting things done in accordance with our values. I think that’s what we need to bring to the table in Washington.”
Buttigieg entered what is expected to be a crowded primary field that could see as many as 30 candidates fighting for the Democratic Party’s nomination.
The Indiana Democrat is likely to face other candidates such as former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenHillicon Valley: Biden calls on Facebook to change political speech rules | Dems demand hearings after Georgia election chaos | Microsoft stops selling facial recognition tech to police Trump finalizing executive order calling on police to use ‘force with compassion’ The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook MORE, Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: Milley apologizes for church photo-op Harris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness MORE (I-Vt.), Sen. Kamala HarrisKamala Devi HarrisRand Paul introduces bill to end no-knock warrants The Hill’s Campaign Report: Biden campaign goes on offensive against Facebook McEnany says Juneteenth is a very ‘meaningful’ day to Trump MORE (D-Calif.), Sen. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenWarren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Joint Chiefs chairman says he regrets participating in Trump photo-op | GOP senators back Joint Chiefs chairman who voiced regret over Trump photo-op | Senate panel approves 0B defense policy bill Trump on collision course with Congress over bases with Confederate names MORE (D-Mass.) and Sen. Kirsten GillibrandKirsten GillibrandWarren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Warren, Pressley introduce bill to make it a crime for police officers to deny medical care to people in custody Senate Dems press DOJ over coronavirus safety precautions in juvenile detention centers MORE (D-N.Y.) with larger name recognition, deeper pockets and campaigns staffed by top party talent.
“With all due respect to some of the other federal offices that people hold and the good people who hold them, I’m not sure that what we want is more of what we’ve been seeing in the United States Congress compared to what we’ve been seeing in our best-run American cities,” he said.
“At least of the people who have jumped in, I’m the only one who is living a middle-class lifestyle in a middle-class neighborhood in middle America,” he added in comments to reporters in Washington Wednesday.
Buttigieg could benefit from a crowded primary field in which several of the perceived front-runners divide the vote amongst themselves and carve a path for a candidate who could cast themselves as a Washington outsider with political experience.
The South Bend mayor was first elected in 2011 at age 29. He became the youngest person to serve as the mayor of a city with a population of more than 100,000 when he took office in 2012, and he won a second term in 2015.
An unsuccessful bid for Democratic National Committee chairmanship in 2017 helped raise Buttigieg’s national profile.