Age: 37

Experience: Mayor of South Bend, Indiana (2012-Present)

Fun Fact: Buttigieg can speak seven languages, including Norwegian and Arabic.

The millennial mayor of South Bend, Indiana announced his official campaign on April 14, 2019, after nearly 3 months of campaigning under an exploratory committee. Buttigieg, also known as Mayor Pete, began a lightspeed rise in popularity after his Town Hall performance at South by Southwest on March 11 which garnered praise from both the internet and traditional media.

If elected, Buttigieg would be the first openly gay President, as well as the youngest. Buttigieg views his age as a positive, saying Democrats want “generational change” in American politics. Buttigieg has spoken in favor of the Green New Deal and Paris Climate Agreement, and is also in favor of abolishing the Electoral College. On healthcare, Buttigieg supports putting Medicare on the market as a public option, or “Medicare for All who want it,” as he calls it.

One of the most unique policy proposals from Mayor Pete is a reformation of the Supreme Court to include 15 justices. Under the plan detailed by Buttigieg, 10 of those justices would be appointed by the President and approved by the Senate, as is the traditional method, while the other five would be unanimously decided upon by the 10 justices already serving. The goal of this plan, according to Buttigieg, is to do away with the political struggle that has arisen around recent nominations to the Supreme Court.

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