Openly Gay Pete Buttigieg Officially Announces Campaign for President

Pete Buttigieg has officially launched his campaign for the United States Presidency, reports the Guardian.

The openly gay presidential hopeful formed an exploratory committee in January and has since gained momentum in the polls to third place in several states, behind Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. A remarkable feat considering the overcrowded Democrat playing field.

Buttigieg made the announcement in his hometown of South Bend, Indiana, of which he is mayor.

“My name is Pete Buttigieg. They call me Mayor Pete. I am a proud son of South Bend, Indiana, and I am running for President of the United States,” he told a cheering crowd.

“We live in a moment that compels us each to act. The forces changing our country today are tectonic.

“Forces that help to explain what made this current presidency even possible. This time it’s not just about winning an election, it’s about winning an era.”

He also thanked his husband, Chasten, for “giving me the strength to do this, and the grounding to be myself as we go.”

“Our marriage exists by the grace of a single vote on the US Supreme Court. Nine women and men sat down in a room and took a vote, and brought me the most important freedom in my life.”

“Mayor Pete shattered a lavender ceiling once thought unbreakable, becoming the first openly LGBTQ Democratic presidential candidate in American history and our first real shot at the Oval Office,” said Annise Parker of Victory Fund, a political LGBT+ Action committee that supports Buttigieg.

“There are enormous minefields and hurdles to running as an openly LGBTQ candidate, and so far, Mayor Pete has gracefully leapt over them on the world’s largest political stage. He’s the real deal.”

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