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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Bergerac: 'darker' reboot of the eighties crime drama
The Week Recommends Irish actor Damien Molony takes over from John Nettles as the Jersey detective
By The Week UK Published
-
Pamela Anderson is 'transfixing' in The Last Showgirl
The Week Recommends 'Quietly touching' film about a Las Vegas showgirl facing the end of her career
By The Week UK Published
-
Is it time to ban smacking in England?
Today's Big Question Experts are calling for 'Victorian-era punishment' to be scrapped, but the government isn't ready to act
By Abby Wilson Published
-
Trump touts early wins in partisan speech to Congress
Speed Read The president said he is 'just getting started' with his sweeping changes to immigration, the economy and foreign policy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trudeau blasts Trump's 'very dumb' trade war
Speed Read Retaliatory measures have been announced by America's largest trading partners following Trump's tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump pauses military aid to Ukraine after public spat
Speed Read Trump and J.D. Vance berated Volodymyr Zelenskyy for what they saw as insufficient gratitude
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump's Mexico and Canada tariffs begin, roiling markets
Speed Read Stocks plunged after Trump affirmed that the tariffs would take effect, sparking a likely trade war
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Judge tells White House to stop ordering mass firings
speed read The ruling is a complication in the Trump administration's plans to slash the federal workforce
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump vows 25% tariffs on EU at Cabinet meeting
Speed Read The tariff threats serve to enhance a growing suspicion that the president views Europe as an adversary, not an ally
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump proposes 'gold card' visas for rich immigrants
speed read The president claimed the US will begin selling $5 million visas offering permanent residency
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
House passes framework for big tax and spending cuts
Speed Read Democrats opposed the GOP's plan for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and $2 trillion in spending cuts, citing the impacts it will have on social programs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published