Overview
- On Sunday Pete Buttigieg told Meet the Press that he would not have run for president if he did not believe Americans were ready to elect an openly gay president.
- Buttigieg pointed to winning the 2020 Iowa caucuses as a major-party first and to his 80% reelection in South Bend after coming out as proof that voters accept gay candidates.
- He said his conversations while traveling the country show voters care more about their daily lives and the economy than a candidate’s sexual identity.
- Buttigieg criticized Republican messaging and said voters will see through President Trump’s $5,000 dividend promise, arguing economic pain will shape the 2026 outcomes.
- He declined to announce a 2028 run and said his priority is helping Democrats win control of Congress in the midterms, a stance that echoes choices described in Kamala Harris’s memoir about 2024 running-mate calculations.