58 mayors and former mayors have signed an op-ed in USA Today endorsing South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.
The mayors are from cities all over the country, including the mayors of Palm Springs, California; Austin, Texas; and Kansas City, Missouri. Some of them are from early primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire, although none of them are from South Carolina, a state where Buttigieg has been struggling.
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“South Bend is a quintessential American city, with big challenges and ever bigger opportunities,” the mayors wrote. “It remains close-knit — people stop Pete on the street, give him ideas and feedback, and hold him accountable for everything from potholes to racial justice.”
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The op-ed calls South Bend “Buttigieg’s success story,” saying that “Pete has always been about what works well.”
The mayors cite Buttigieg’s program that gave undocumented residents of South Bend ID cards so they could open bank accounts and get medical care, as well as some of his positions from his presidential campaign like his support for “Medicare For All Who Want It.”
“For all these reasons, Mayor Pete has become a role model — and in some cases, a mentor — to mayors like us,” the op-ed says. “We endorse him from heartland towns, coastal cities, suburban communities and every other corner of our great country. What’s more, in the spirit of the community of mayors, we are already offering Pete our best ideas and helping engage grassroots supporters all across the country.”