Who is Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay candidate to run for US President

Buttigieg (pronounced Boot-edge-edge) was born in South Bend, Indiana, a city of just 100,000 people. He served as mayor of the city for two terms. He was first elected to the position in 2011. His stint, however, was cut short when he took leave of absence when he was deployed in Afghanistan for seven months as intelligence officer in the Navy Reserve. He was re-elected as Mayor for a second term in 2015.

Buttigieg was educated at Harvard and Oxford universities. He married Chasten Glezman, a schoolteacher from Michigan, in 2018.

The Washington Post described him as “the most interesting mayor you’ve never heard of based on his youth, education, and military background”, in 2014.

During his campaign, Buttigieg has flagged issues from stagnant wages to climate change, and from the rise of gun violence and white nationalism.

According to The New York Times, Buttigieg’s presidential campaign is built around the idea of generational change. He has said while campaigning that he would be a bridge to a new era of American politics, reports NYT.

If elected to the White House, Buttigieg will be the first mayor to script a course from city hall to the White House.