Pete Buttigieg Says Campaign Must Defeat Trumpism in U.S. Presidential Race

Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, told EL PAÍS that “Many people voted for this president not because they thought he was a good person, but because he promised to set fire to the building.”

“Kevin Costner has already made his choice for the U”

BFM

Buttigieg said his campaign aims to “create a new normal,” arguing that “We need to address the money–politics relationship” and “eventually we have to move to a system of the popular vote.”

BFM

The EL PAÍS interview placed Buttigieg among the favorites with “between 4% and 8%” in polls, while noting that the field still had “20 candidates” after Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced her withdrawal.

Slate.fr described the moment when a crowd of about forty volunteers in West Hollywood reacted to Buttigieg’s television line “I'm running for president,” portraying him as openly gay, young, and progressive.

In the same Slate.fr account, Bobby Beus, a 47-year-old volunteer, said, “Enjoy this historic moment, friends,” as other volunteers chanted “BOOT EDGE EDGE.”

CNews said Hollywood has become a prime ground for Democratic contenders, and it described how Pete Buttigieg attracted support from celebrities including Sharon Stone, Michael J. Fox, Kevin Bacon, and Ellen DeGeneres.

In Iowa, actor Kevin Costner attended Sunday’s Pete Buttigieg rally and introduced the mayor of a small town in Indiana, saying, “When Pete talks about unity, it's the kind of unity I've waited a long time for and hoped to hear spoken about.”

CNN

CNews also reported that Tom Hanks contributed $1,400 to Joe Biden, while it said Barbra Streisand donated $1,000 each to Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O’Rourke, Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg.

The CNews piece added that Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour donated $2,800 to Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris and Beto O’Rourke, and Kirsten Gillibrand.

In the same Costner account, the actor told the audience, “What you do with your vote is plant the first seeds and see what grows next year,” tying it to the idea that Iowa is the first of the 50 states to vote in the primaries.

CNN described Buttigieg as becoming “one of the most prolific midterm campaigners among possible presidential candidates,” saying he has backed candidates in more than 30 races and traveled to over a dozen states.

“Shawn Harris is aware of the political bind he faces in northwest Georgia”

CNN

In a statement to CNN, Buttigieg said he wants “to be useful to citizens organizing to fix broken systems, and candidates who represent a better version of our politics.”

CNN reported that he is supporting up-and-coming Black Democrats in the midterms, including Aaron Ford for Nevada governor and Jasmine Clark for an open House seat east of Atlanta, and it said he also supported Chedrick Greene in a Michigan state Senate special election.

In northwest Georgia, CNN quoted Shawn Harris saying, “Because I live in a ruby-red district, I can’t have every nationally known Democrat come here and support me,” before describing how he welcomed Buttigieg ahead of a March special election runoff.

CNN also said Jaime Harrison called Buttigieg “extremely active and I think that’s a good thing,” and Harrison added, “This is going to be the biggest midterms of our lifetimes, and so it’s important to put points on the board.”