Mayor of South Bend, Ind., he previously worked as a consultant and as a Lieutenant in the Naval Reserve, including spending seven months in Afghanistan. Buttigieg is a Rhodes Scholar and the youngest and only openly gay major candidate in the race.
Previous Work Around Poverty and Opportunity
- Touts his record presiding over positive developments in South Bend, including a decline in the unemployment rate and a rise in population after a long stretch of decline. However, some have expressed concerns about the negative impacts of gentrification on low-income people in the downtown area.
- Supports a federal non-discrimination amendment (Federal Equality Act), which would give federal non-discrimination protections to LGBTQ people.
On the Issues
Jobs: Believes that NAFTA led to serious job losses throughout the Midwest. Stresses his support for labor unions and labor.
Affordable Housing: As mayor, he helped set up a $2 million grant program for home repairs and a $2 million program for affordable housing. In an effort to accelerate building, he launched a “1000 properties in 1000 days” program.
Health Care/Insurance: Supports an eventual single-payer system, but instead of making the jump directly, supports a transition. That transition should be through an all-payer rate setting, which means that all payers would eventually pay the same price but through the private system.
Education: Has expressed interest in rethinking educational systems to focus on “giving people the kind of resiliency and ability to adapt.”
Criminal Justice: Supports criminal justice reform and abolishing the death penalty.
Minimum Wage: Accelerated scheduled increases in the minimum wage for city employees from $8 to $10.10.
Safety Net: Believes a Green New Deal can be a starting point for an expanded social safety net.
Children/Families: Helped enact six-week paid family leave for city employees.
Taxes/Tax Credits: Says the wealthiest “do not pay their fair share” in taxes.
News Articles
“What does Pete Buttigieg believe? Where the candidate stands on 7 issues” (PBS: 2/15/2019)
“Pete Buttigieg has broken through the noise on community and religion” (The Washington Post: 3/24/2019)
“Why some Democrats say: Don’t sleep on ‘Mayor Pete’ Buttigieg” (NBC News: 3/24/2019)