More than 50 mayors unite behind Pete Buttigieg

Most polls indicate South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg is in the tier just below the frontrunners in the Democratic presidential primary race. But he's first in the hearts and minds of his fellow mayors.

In an open letter published by USA Today on Wednesday, more than 50 mayors across the country — including from cities like Austin, Texas; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Dayton, Ohio — threw their collective weight behind Buttigieg. "We endorse him from heartland towns, coastal cities, suburban communities, and every other corner of our great country," the mayors wrote.

But the mayoral cavalry is reportedly not just sitting at their desks, hacking away at their keyboards. "What's more, in the spirit of the community of mayors, we are already offering Pete our best ideas and helping engage grassroots supporters all across the country," the letter continues.

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The mayors also laid out their argument for why their job is the perfect stepping stone for the presidency. They can't afford to deal with inaction and gridlock that result from partisan squabbles because their residents "expect electricity when they flip on the switch, clean water from their taps, and trash picked up regularly." It would be "unthinkable," they claim, for a mayor like Buttigieg to shut down the government "because of a petty ideological disagreement." Mayors, in other words, just get things done.

Who knows if the endorsements will help rally voters for Buttigieg in the mayors' cities, but it's always nice to see some solidarity across a profession — though Buttigieg's fellow Democratic candidate New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio would probably disagree. Read the letter at USA Today.