37-year-old Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg joins crowded Democratic presidential field
Another Democrat has entered the increasingly packed 2020 presidential race.
South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg announced Wednesday morning that he is launching a 2020 exploratory committee, the first step in a presidential run. In a video released on Twitter, Buttigieg said "there's a new generation of voices emerging in our country" who are "walking away from the politics of the past." Buttigieg was considered a likely 2020 candidate, especially since he announced he would not seek another term as mayor.
Buttigieg turns 39 in January 2021. If elected, he would be the youngest president in American history. He would also be the first openly gay nominee for a major political party if he were to pull off a major upset and actually win the Democratic nomination, NBC News reports.
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The announcement comes two days after Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) threw her hat in the 2020 ring, joining 37-year-old Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and former secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro. Other candidates widely expected to join the race, like former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), have not yet announced their decisions.
Watch Buttigieg's announcement below. Brendan Morrow
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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