Evanston Mayor Endorses Pete Buttigieg In Democratic Primary

EVANSTON, IL — Along with the mayors of 58 communities around the country, Evanston Mayor Steve Hagerty endorsed South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg for the Democratic Party's nomination for president. In an op-ed published Wednesday, the "Mayors for Pete" said Buttigieg's "steady and inspired leadership has revitalized" the Indiana city of 100,000 people during his eight years as mayor.

The endorsement was penned by the mayors of Austin, Texas; Dayton, Ohio; Kansas City, Missouri and West Sacramento, California. It said Buttigieg puts practicality over ideology, focuses on the future, wants to make sure everyone is heard and feels like they belong, offered the most comprehensive plan to dismantle systemic racism and understands the "power of moral leadership."

Hagerty was one of only two Illinois mayors to sign onto the letter and throw their support behind Buttigieg, a 37-year-old former corporate consultant and Rhodes Scholar who served in the US Navy Reserve and spent seven months in Afghanistan after being elected as mayor in 2011.

The Evanston mayor, himself a former consultant, said Buttigieg reminded him of former President Barack Obama. In a social media post, he said he was proud to join the mayors group to endorse his fellow mayor.

"He’s prepared, positive, level headed, empathetic, and forward thinking," Hagerty said. "His military experience, municipal leadership, and in-depth understanding of this country’s urban and rural needs, uniquely qualifies him to lead this country into the future."

Buttigieg is the first openly gay candidate to run for the Democratic Party nomination. By the end of the second quarter, he had raised $32 million from an estimated 390,000 donors. But an average of recent polls shows Buttigieg with less than 6 percent of the vote among Democrats seeking the nomination to challenge President Donald Trump next year. He and California Sen. Kamala Harris trail the three leading candidates — former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts — by more than 10 points in nationwide polls and surveys in Iowa and New Hampshire.

The following mayors endorsed Buttigieg in the Sept. 18 USA Today op-ed.

• Steve Adler (Austin, TX)
• Nan Whaley (Dayton, OH)
• Jorge Elorza (Providence, RI)
• Christopher Cabaldon (West Sacramento, CA)
• Justin Flippen (Wilton Manors, FL)
• Christine Hunschofsky (Parkland, FL)
• Dean Trantalis (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
• Betsy Hodges (Minneapolis, MN)
• Annise Parker (Houston, TX)
• Rob Moon (Palm Springs, CA)
• John D’Amico (West Hollywood, CA)
• Luke Bronin (Hartford, CT)
• Liz Alpert (Sarasota, FL)
• Michelle De La Isla (Topeka, KS)
• Jim Gray (Lexington, KY)
• Patrick Wojahn (College Park, MD)
• John Cranley (Cincinnati, OH)
• Ian Baltutis (Burlington, NC)
• John Hamilton (Bloomington, IN)
• Jacob Day (Salisbury, MD)
• Zach Vruwink (Wisconsin Rapids, WI)
• Matt Shorraw (Monessen, PA)
• Breea Clark (Norman, OK)
• Gabriel Quinto (El Cerrito, CA)
• Joe Signorello (Roselle Park, NJ)
• John Harabedian (Sierra Madre, CA)
• Mark Kleinschmidt (Chapel Hill, NC)
• Layla Walz (Wells, NV)
• Lydia Lavelle (Carrborro, NC)
• Suzanne Prentiss (Lebanon, NH)
• Ross Swords, Jr (Brownsville, PA)
• Leirion Gaylor Baird (Lincoln, NE)
• Kristopher Larsen (Nederland, CO)
• Noam Bramson (New Rochelle, NY)
• Steve Hagerty (Evanston, IL)
• David Berger (Lima, OH)
• Tari Renner (Bloomington, IL)
• Sly James (Kansas City, MO)
• Andy Berke (Chattanooga, TN)
• Daniel Yost (Woodside, CA)
• Ted Ellis (Bluffton, IN)
• Hugh Wirth (Oakland City, IN)
• Ron Strouse (Doylestown, PA)
• Beth Bashert (Ypsilanti, MI)
• Duane Rosenberg (New Carrollton, MD)
• Shawn Raup-Konsavage (Bernville, PA)
• Dave Kitchell (Logansport, IN)
• Rosalynn Bliss (Grand Rapids, MI)
• Tom McDermott (Hammond, IN)
• Henry Schwaller (Hays, KS)
• Greg Goodnight (Kokomo, IN)
• Mark Barbee (Bridgeport, PA)
• Jim Carruthers (Traverse City, MI)
• Gleam Davis (Santa Monica, CA)
• Ryan Arndorfer (Britt, IA)
• Brent Bascom (Rising Sun, IN)
• Gay Ann Harney (Rockport, IN)
• Ron Meer (Michigan City, IN)
• Gabriel Greer (Peru, IN)