pete primer

 
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2020 DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE

  • 37-year-old Mayor from South Bend, Indiana (first Millennial candidate)

  • Son of two Notre Dame professors

  • Graduated from Harvard with a degree in Literature & History

  • Rhodes Scholar. Graduated from Oxford with a first in Economics, Policy & Philosophy

  • Veteran of Afghanistan where he served as a Navy intelligence officer tracking terrorist financing networks

  • Speaks 7 languages

  • Went back to South Bend to serve as Mayor for 8 years and turn around his dying home town

  • Involved in the Democratic party since he was president of the student branch at Harvard

  • WATCH PETE’S exploratory committee VIDEO (1:47)

  • Watch “This is Pete” (2:15)

family life

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so many reasons

  • He’s incredibly intelligent. He has a gift for seeing the 10,000 foot view and identifying the problems in large, complex systems. Like our politics. Like racial injustice. Like international relations.

  • He’s a gifted speech-writer and communicator who knows how to distill those problems, and the solutions, in ways everyone can understand.

  • He’s a pragmatist who knows how to get things done. As a “mayor’s mayor”, Pete has been responsible for everything from infrastructure (sewers, roads), to managing a large city budget, to schools, to coordinating after a natural disaster, to bringing his community together. He faces constituents in the grocery store and on the streets. He is focused on tangible results, not legislation that never passes, unrealistic plans, or endless arguments.

  • He’s got an attitude of service. Pete is a humble person who believes that the point of the presidency is not for self-glorification but in order to truly serve his fellow man. WATCH 2 MIN VIDEO SPEECH “Politics is soul craft”

  • He’s a leader of the religious left. He believes in progressive values like welcoming the stranger and lifting up the poor because of his deeply held faith. But he also believes that religion should never be imposed on others and respects those of all faiths and no faith.

  • He’s believes all people should have equal rights, equal pay, equal opportunity. He’s passionate about ending racial injustice and supporting women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, and disabled rights. WATCH PETE TALK ABOUT IDENTITY HERE (3:49).

  • He is a Millennial. Pete understands the urgency of climate change, the deficit, the gig economy, social media misinfo, cyber security, and student debt. We live in a fast-changing society, and we MUST HAVE a president who understands the pressing issues of today. It’s time to pass the torch to the next generation.

  • He’s the only top four candidate under 70. We need to hold the White House for eight years. Pete has the youth, energy, and passion to do that. Candidate ages in Nov 2024: Biden (81), Sanders (82), Warren (74), Buttigieg (41).

  • He is a unifier. He knows we must unite a divided country. He is creating hope and a vision for the future, finding the ideas around which to unite EVERYONE, not just democrats. He is gaining support across the political spectrum.

  • He’s calm, steady, mature, and unshakable. At 37, he’s been called the most mature candidate on the debate stage. Pete is unflappable, endlessly patient explaining his ideas, and cool-headed in moments of crisis. He is happy to discuss ideas and policy but never makes personal attacks.

  • THIS ELECTION IS NOT JUST ABOUT REMOVING TRUMP. IT’S ABOUT HAVING THE BEST POSSIBLE PRESIDENT TO STEER US AWAY FROM DISASTER IN THE NEXT 8 YEARS.

 
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The best case for Pete is made by Pete himself!

Experience being at a PETE BUTTIGIEG rally on our “virtual Pete Rally” page.

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DEMOCRATIC REFORM

  • This is Pete’s first priority, because if we can’t fix our DEMOCRACY, nothing else will get done.

  • Abolish electoral college. A democracy should give the presidency to the person with the most votes.

  • Voting Rights Act. Automatic enrollment, end gerrymandering, voting day a holiday, make sure everyone can vote!

  • Secure our elections from foreign and internal manipulation.

  • Puerto Rico and DC Statehood. All citizens should have equal representation in Congress.

  • Depoliticize the Supreme Court.

  • WATCH: On “My Big Idea”, Pete talks about democratic reform (4:52)

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“Building power” - women’s rights policy plan

 

climate change

  • Pete believes this is the greatest challenge we’ve ever faced. We are out of time to act.

  • His plan includes a carbon tax, rejoining the Paris agreement, creating a new “Pittsburgh agreement” with US cities, adding billions to R&D for green technology, and more.

  • What’s unique about his plan compared to other Dem candidates?

    • Frame the climate crisis as a NATIONAL PROJECT as big as the moon landing. Get everyone involved: farmers, businesses, and every citizen through programs and incentives.

    • Bring in rural America, providing R&D and financial incentives to create greener farms and, eventually, zero-emission farms that can lead the way globally.

    • National Service jobs for high school grads in a “Climate Corps” to help after natural disasters and help build more sustainable communities.

    • US President as “Climate Czar” - The US as needing to lead on climate change GLOBALLY. This can restore our credibility, economic dominance, and strengthen our alliances.

    • Pete sees this as a MORAL issue, an issue of generational justice and stewardship of the Earth.

    • Focus on LOCAL. As a mayor, Pete knows the individual towns are the place for change to begin, and he will offer Federal grants and resources aimed at local action.

  • READ Pete’s Climate Change plan

  • WATCH Pete’s Climate Town Hall on MSNBC

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GUN LAW REFORM

racial justice & a plan for black america

As a mayor of a racial diverse community, Pete has learned that many interconnected factors work together to hold the Black community down. From educational disadvantages, to being redlined into neighborhoods with environmental hazards, to not being taken seriously in hospitals, to difficulty getting credit to start businesses, to criminal justice.

The Douglass Plan addresses all these areas at once in order to tackle systemic racism.

The plan puts forth a huge investment in Black America.

Yusef Jackson, Jesse Jackson's son, said: “I have never heard the story of the African American opportunity & struggle stated more clearly, w/ problems & respective solutions, than I have heard today. He is setting a bar for candidates in their understanding and articulation of these specific American issues.

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healthcare

  • Pete supports “Medicare For All Who Want It”. His plan creates an affordable public Medicare option that people can choose to buy into, or they can choose to keep their private plans.

  • Prescription drug prices must become affordable.

  • Mental health checkups should be as common as physical health check-ups.

  • Mental health parity. Insurance coverage and mental health providers should be as available as for physical illness.

  • Prevent 1 million “deaths of despair” by 2028 through mental health and addiction programs.

  • Establish “health equity zones” to ensure patients are not treated differently based on income or race.

  • READ PETE’S HEALTHCARE PLAN

  • READ PETE’s PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICING PLAN

  • READ PETE’S MENTAL HEALTH PLAN

  • WATCH PETE’S SPEECH ON HIS MENTAL HEALTH PLAN

LGBTQ RIGHTS

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NATIONAL SERVICE

  • 1 million paid national service jobs by 2026.

  • Youth will encouraged to consider a “service year” after high school (enrollment is optional)

  • Those who serve will earn college tuition as well as a salary.

  • Serving together is an opportunity to reknit our national community. Serving with others from different backgrounds will get us out of our social media bubbles and help heal the divisions in our country.

  • Three new Corps will be formed. The Community Health Corps will work with mental health and addiction. The Climate Corps will help build resiliency and respond to disasters,. The Intergenerational Corps to work with seniors.

education & COLLEGE DEBT

  • Public K-12 schools desperately need repair—from teacher’s wages, to providing more equitable classrooms across racial and economic class, to providing mental health and social services in schools, to funding for arts education, and much more. Read Pete’s plan for K-12.

  • College needs to be affordable to all who want it. Pete is promising free public college for lower and middle income students — approx 80% of all students.

  • Expand Pell grants for all colleges, make them easier to get, and make them available for living expenses as well as tuition.

  • Federal government can incentivize/pressure State schools to keep tuition costs low.

  • Refi student debt at low rates the way you can refi a mortgage.

  • Debt forgiveness for working in public service jobs such as teaching and for national service work.

  • READ PETE’S K-12 PLAN

  • READ PETE’S AFFORDABLE COLLEGE & APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING PLAN HERE

  • WATCH PETE TALK ABOUT STUDENT DEBT ON “ASK PETE” (Search “STUDENT DEBT”)

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FOREIGN POLICY

  • Pete believes the world needs America, but only America at its best.

  • It’s critical that we rebuild our damaged relationships with our allies and be a leader in G7.

  • We should lead on human rights and champion democratic values, but first we must practice these values at home.

  • He wants to put an end to “endless wars”. We need to get out of Afghanistan, leaving only a small intelligence and advisory force.

  • Starting a war should only be done if America or her allies are under attack. All other diplomatic and economic tools should be exhausted first.

  • Any act of war should be approved by Congress and have a 3-year sunset that would force Congress to vote on it again if it is not over.

  • China will be the biggest challenge in the future and America needs to be competitive and engaged with China. But he believes Trump’s tariffs have no strategy and are harming Americans.

  • Read Pete’s answers on this Council of Foreign Relations Interview.

  • WATCH PETE’S FOREIGN POLICY SPEECH HERE.

rural america

  • Build jobs in rural America through Federal Apprenticeship and Internship programs.

  • Issue Community Renewal Visas to encourage skilled immigrants, such as doctors, to serve in rural areas in need.

  • Get Broadband into rural areas. This will help farmers who rely on up-to-date information and encourage people who telecommute from home to move to rural areas.

  • Invest in R&D to use agriculture as a powerful solution to climate change, including through soil carbon sequestration.

  • Reduce teacher shortages in rural areas by 50%

  • Use telehealth to provide those in rural areas with healthcare at home.

  • Reinvigorate antitrust enforcement to protect workers and family farmers.

  • READ Pete’s WHOLE RURAL PLAN

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empowering workers & unions

  • Pete is for unions. He has marched with union workers for years. He promises stiff penalties for companies that punish workers for unionizing and laws to help workers unionize across companies. For example a “fast food union.”

  • Gig economy workers deserve benefits too. Pete proposes a federal program to provide part time workers with benefits if their hours at various jobs add up to full-time work.

  • $15 minimum wage. Workers deserve a living wage.

  • Institute gender pay transparency. Forcing companies to reveal their wages will help end gender pay gap.

  • Use Federal contracting power to encourage unions by spending more federal dollars with companies that have unions.

  • Protections for farm and domestic workers.

  • READ Pete’s empowering workers PLAN

DIGNITY, ACCESS, AND BELONGING - DISABILITY PLAN

  • Make inclusive ed an expectation

  • End the subminimum wage

  • Prevent parents from losing custody because of their diagnosis

  • Develop an Accessible Tech BORs

  • Encourage universal design in disaster preparedness

  • READ Pete’s DISABILITY PLAN

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VETERANS

  • Streamline medical care with a veteran-centric VA

  • Access to mental health and suicide prevention

  • Provide chid care in all military communities

  • Rescind transgender military ban

  • Support transition from active-duty through loans and training

  • Use veterans to spark civic-minded service nationwide

  • READ Pete’s VETERAN’S PLAN

  • WATCH PETE’S VETERAN’S DAY SPEECH

 
 
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COOL. Pete is great, but can he actually win?

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Pete kicked off his campaign in April. No one knew who he was. As of September, he is currently in 4th place out of 23rd Democratic candidates in national polls.

THAT IS AMAZING. The three candidates currently ahead of him have huge name recognition - Former VP Joe Biden, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Senator Bernie Sanders. In six months, Pete has gone from zero name recognition to 4th place in a large field of candidates. Those who hear Pete speak, love Pete!

The first votes for the Democratic primary are in February 2020. Only four states vote in February— Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada. If voters see someone fresh and exciting like Pete CAN win, they are more likely to vote for him in the later states. That;s how Obama won in 2008. People liked him, but they weren’t sure a younger black man who had relatively little experience in Washington could win. Until he won Iowa!

To win the Democratic nomination, Pete needs to do very well in the four early voting states.

Signs he can win:

  • He’s raising the most money. One big indicator of a candidate’s viability is fundraising. Pete raised more in Q2 than any other candidate. He brought in $24 million from over 400,000 donors and an average donation of $46. This shows people are behind him, and it gives him the money to build a serious campaign.

  • He has a top-notch organization. Many of Pete’s staff are former Obama people and the best in the business. He has the sheer brain- and talent-power to win.

  • Current support for the top candidates is very “soft”. Many people are not paying attention yet. They pick a name they recognize on a poll. But as many as 88% (on a recent Iowa poll) say they are not “locked in” yet. This leaves room for an exciting newcomer like Pete to win them over.

  • He has a super low unfavorability rating. Only 13% of voters who know Pete think of him “unfavorably”. That’s incredibly low! The challenge is just to get more people to know him.

  • He appeals to young and old, left and center Democrat voters. Of the top four candidates, Senators Warren and Sanders are considered quite “far left,” and this puts off moderate-leaning Democrat voters. Biden has been leading in polling because he’s a moderate. But he doesn’t inspire with fresh ideas and vision and his social positions are old-fashioned. Pete is far left on social justice, climate change, empowering workers, and democratic reform, but he’s more moderate on economic/tax issues. This can form a winning coalition of Democrats.

  • He’s the only top four candidate under 70. We need to hold the White House for eight years. Pete has the youth, energy, and passion to do that.

  • He has support among Republican and Independent voters. These voters don’t register in Democratic polls, but many who are done with Trump prefer Pete to any other Dem candidate because he’s young, charismatic, super intelligent, honest and genuine, and he’s a veteran. Also, he’s not as far left as Warren & Sanders. Because these voters are “silent” in the polls, Pete’s support is even higher than it appears.

  • He can take the Midwest. In terms of the electoral college, this is a key area. He’s also doing serious outreach to farmers, bringing them in to the climate change conversation in a positive way, and talking about how to build up depressed rural areas. (See his Plan for Rural America)

  • History is on his side. All the Dem presidents who have won since the 50’s have been younger, inspirational outsiders who have had fresh ideas for reform. John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Obama. “Establishment candidates” have typically lost. Also, historically, the top polling candidates in September DO NOT win the nomination.

  • He’s the opposite of Trump. Another pattern is that the winning candidate is often the “opposite” of what we had before. As a young, super intelligent, gay, war veteran, who is calm by nature, soothing, incredibly ETHICAL, and has genuine faith? It’s hard to imagine a candidate more different than Trump. People find Pete relaxing and joyful!

  • He’s strong in Iowa and New Hampshire. He’s polling in the double digits in these early states and has picked up many endorsements from state legislators and mayors. At recent events such as the Polk County Steak Fry, Wing Ding Dinner, and Iowa State Fair, Pete has visibly had the biggest crowds and most enthusiasm of ANY Dem candidates. Iowians say they haven’t seen anything like it since Obama. Iowa votes first, so this is critical. Check out the video below (click on the image) or see our blog post of the entire big event at the Steak Fry with Pete’s full speech.

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Posted by Sara Goldstein (LINK)

Posted by Sara Goldstein (LINK)

  1. Talk to your friends and family about Pete. Share this page or short videos. The most convincing message about Pete is Pete himself!

  2. Sign up for emails & text alerts. Fill in the “Join Team Pete” form at the top of THIS PAGE

  3. Wear Pete Merch! Getting his name out there and showing the strength of his support is important. (LINK TO STORE)

  4. Donate. It takes a lot of money to hire organizers in the different states and keep Pete and his staff running at full capacity. Anything helps! (LINK TO DONATE)

  5. Volunteer your time. There are many grassroots “Pete-Ups” going on all over the country. Show up at one in your area just to talk about Pete or help with canvassing, working a table at a market, or other Pete activities. (LOOK FOR EVENTS HERE)

  6. Follow Pete, Chasten, and Team Pete HQ on Social Media. “Like” and “Retweet” or “Share” their posts. Do the same for news posts about them (i.e. from CNN or other sources). This shows interest in Pete’s candidacy. Tweet or post about him yourself with the hashtags #PeteForAmerica, #Pete2020.

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