Pete and Chasten Buttigieg have moved to Michigan from Indiana in what might be a move to advance Pete’s political career.
Pete Buttigieg is originally from Indiana and he served as mayor of South Bend, Indiana for eight years starting in 2012 before he mounted a presidential campaign. Considering how conservative Indiana is – Mike Pence used to be the state’s governor – it seemed like a progressive gay Democrat wouldn’t have much of a career in electoral politics in the state.
Related: Pete Buttigieg proves why he’s the master at handling Fox News’ “gotcha” questions
Last year, President Joe Biden tapped him to be the Secretary of Transportation, and now he and his husband are officially Michiganders. Detroit News reports that they bought property near Chasten Buttigieg’s hometown of Traverse City, Michigan and a Department of Transportation spokesperson confirmed that they have registered to vote in the city.
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The spokesperson said that the move will put them closer to Chasten Buttigieg’s family, the better to get help from his parents with their twin babies.
While that’s the official reason for the move, it’s hard not to notice that they moved from a conservative state to a more purple state, one where an out LGBTQ person has already won a statewide office: Attorney General Dana Nessel.
“It’s a very smart move,” said University of Virginia Center for Politics director Larry Sabato. “Michigan is winnable for a Democrat. Indiana is not, at least in most years.”
Sabato said that Pete Buttigieg “has his eye on running for president” again. Residing in Michigan will provide him a more obvious path to rising the ranks in politics after his work with the Biden administration is over. Moreover, Michigan was a swing state in both 2016’s and 2020’s presidential elections.
