🔥🔥 BREAKING: Pete Buttigieg is IN -- he'll be running for president in 2028!

[Swede]

🔥🔥 BREAKING: Pete Buttigieg is IN — he’ll be running for president in 2028!

Raise your hand if that makes you happy! ✋

— Jon Cooper (@joncooper-us.bsky.social) 2026-04-10T17:30:58.160Z

Haven't seen anyone post this yet.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

1. my brain read that as "Pete Hegseth"

[Brother Buzz]

2. Pete Buttigieg is now on my short list

[QueerDuck]

20. Same!

[Deuxcents]

3. 👋

[msongs]

4. or he could be playing along with the reverands joke nt

[valleyrogue]

5. Forget it. He can run for governor or senator instead. N/T

[Mister Ed]

6. I'd sure be happy to see that.

I'm not sure whether what he said qualifies as an announcement.

[Kid Berwyn]

7. He'd make a great President!

If Pete’s our nominee, he’s got my wholehearted support.

[BonnieJW]

59. He would

But he'll never get the nomination
This country is still too ignorant

[AZJonnie]

8. I am also in!

This isn't quite a formal declaration, but sounds promising!

[LuvLoogie]

9. Super

[bucolic_frolic]

10. We need his good and clear mind in the race

I don't know how he'll do, or if he could win, but he explains politics better than just about anyone.

[radical noodle]

11. I really like him

He's so smart, and knows how to talk to real people.

[wiggs]

12. He is formidable, intelligent, articulate, wise. So were Hillary and Kamala. The misogynist voters won't have

someone to vote against, at least.

[Orrex]

21. I'm sure that the media machine will find something to attack about him

But he's 100% got my vote.

[TomSlick]

24. The misogynist are also homophobic.

[Haggard Celine]

34. That's right. People are homophobic because they're misogynistic.

The reason so many straight men don't like gay men is because so many gay men have feminine traits, and that, to them, is a type of perversion. After all, why would a man want to be a lowly woman?

[Marcuse]

78. Yes, many historic and contemporary societies discriminated against "bottoms" in particular.

https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/navy-seal-who-killed-bin-laden-tells-boys-supporting-harris-they-are-his-concubines-in-alarming-comment/

https://youtube.com/shorts/FwemJS961DU?si=IuYHIEy2ocGWS1oB

[ShazzieB]

81. And they're even worse when it comes to trans women.

The straight men who hate gay men hate trans women even more. Thsy spend their days getting worked up about trans women in sports and who should be allowed to use which restroom while completely ignoring the fact that trans men even exist, much less what a can of worms is opened when trans people of either gender are forced to use restrooms that correspond to their sex assigned at birth.

I wish I understood why so many conservative, straight, cis gender men are such fragile snowflakes.

[SWBTATTReg]

13. After tRUMP and his destructive ways we'll need someone like Pete to come in afterwards, and restore our faith in

government and institutions, and restore them back to what they should be, instead of serving at the behalf of billionaires ...

[SpankMe]

14. He can't win for president. But he'd win in a landslide for US Senator almost anywhere

I'd rather have Pete as a shoe-in US senator or rep rather than waste time and money on a longshot presidential run.

Mind you, I'd send money and vote for him for POTUS. I just think the time isn't right for him now, not the least because of what the right would do and the fact that his children will see.

[DavidDvorkin]

15. I wish he wouldn't

I wish he would focus on a run for senator or governor instead.

He would be a truly great president, but there's no chance he'd win that election or even the nomination. I hate the fact that it's so, but it is so.

[flamingdem]

16. Thank you for being honest

Sadly the country is not ready.

[angrychair]

64. So is it Democrats official position now?

That only wealthy white Christian heterosexual men need apply to be in government?

Because all I ever hear now is stuff like this. I guess our "big tent" has been reduced to only accepting rich white heterosexual men for public offices.
Except our best and brightest rich white Christian heterosexual men are out here sexually assaulting women.

[flamingdem]

66. I think this is more about Kamala having lost

and needing new energy.

Identity politics in general are not the way to go.

Best candidate is the way to go.

Kamala running drags us into identity politics and old energy.

Remember her attack on Biden during debates?

Dems have got to laser focus on the economy, imo.

[angrychair]

71. That's not what you said

You said "the country isn't ready".

If my assumption you meant that the country isn't ready for a gay man to be president then what did you mean?

[Smilo]

35. Sadly I feel the same

Pete is a great person, obviously loves America, but America is not that open-minded to elect a gay man.

[everyonematters]

17. I think that he is a great guy, but I am leery of anyone from the Biden administration running for

president. There will be questions concerning Biden's mental acuity and whether he was involved in covering it up. I don't think he did anything wrong, but that doesn't change public opinion. That isn't the reason I would want to lose in 28,

[DownriverDem]

18. Pete is great

but I fear that our country is not ready for a married gay man with kids. They wouldn't vote for a white woman (Hillary) or a black woman (Kamla) which saddens me more than you know. We have to out number the homophobes.

[MackinacBridge]

19. Can we just clone him?

Ooooh, I'm torn.
The greedy part of me would love to see him as our governor. Big Gretch and her AG and SoS have been so competent and I just don't want to return to anything less than what we've had going on. I would be so relieved with Pete as governor.

But Pete can absolutely restore our standing with allies if he were president, he would excel at all things foreign policy, and holy Pete(!) we could start to get back to normal.

The man is just a good human and brings me hope in the way Obama and Kamala did, and he has my vote whatever he decides. Happy to put his sign in my yard for sure.

[MIButterfly]

31. I absolutely agree with you 100%!

I wish he was running for governor or senator here in the great state of Michigan. We'd be so lucky to have him.

[democratsruletheday]

22. We all KNOW he's brilliant....

but the homophobes and turds in this country will never elect a gay person as POTUS which melts my MIND to contemplate. It's sad, it sucks, it's obviously unfair and maddening really. Just too much Uber religious, bigoted, homophobes in this nation. Period...full stop. He'd be best utilized in a high level cabinet position in Kelly's administration. Similar to Harris.

[pinkstarburst]

23. YAY YAY YAY

Pete has my vote x 1000

He has the courage and the vision and the smarts to be an amazing president! Let's do this!!

[fujiyamasan]

25. Mayor of a small town

And former secretary of transportation?

We’re not talking defense, state or attorney general…

I like Pete, but that’s a thin resume. Sorry.

[Random Boomer]

33. Much as I like Pete, I agree

I'd like to see him spend at least another 4-8 years as a senator before I would consider him seasoned enough to be a presidential nominee.

[fujiyamasan]

46. Yep, was hoping he would have run for senator or at least a House seat once he moved to Michigan

I understand statewide ambitions were limited, if non existent in Indiana, but Michigan is definitely more blue at the state level. For example, the state attorney general Dana Nessel is a married woman.

[a kennedy]

26. It's true, this fawking country is NOT ready for a GAY as POTUS.

Damn them all. All though I would vote for him FOR EVERYTHING HE’D RUN FOR. HE’ll NEVER be elected POTUS. Now wait a minute……did I EVER THINK A BLACK MAN COULD BECOME POTUS TWICE???? Yeeeehaaaaa, you betcha baby.

[Cha]

27. Mahalo to you and Pete

Buttigieg ☮️💟🌈🌊🇺🇸

[Lifeafter70]

28. Im in

[walkingman]

29. I like him!

[JoseBalow]

30. I would be happy with a Prez Pete!

[multigraincracker]

32. I can think of 3 that would be great by me.

I would really like to see him debate the Publican that runs against him.
I’m supporting whoever we pick.

[Ziggysmom]

36. If the MAGA homophobes would only realize how he would work to make their

lives so much better. But they can’t see past their hate, so they will continue to vote against their own best interests.

[Renew Deal]

38. He will be compelling candidate

Last edited Sat Apr 11, 2026, 01:45 AM - Edit history (1)

He is a good communicator, good debater, and has a following. He won Iowa in 2020, which is notable, but he finished with 2.5% of the national vote.

He will be tough and would be one of the best debaters to put up against Vance.

[Boo1]

41. 2.5%

and I don't see what he will have done in that 8 years to make himself a better candidate this time around.

Mayor is still his highest elected office and he hasn't won an election in a decade. I just don't see Transportation Sec as being something that's going to take him very far.

He needs a bigger role to raise his national profile. Senator, Governor, Secretary of State....something more to be taken seriously. This is a Democratic Primary, and so far Democrats have still demanded exerience in their candidates.

[Renew Deal]

42. He is much better known now

And the cabinet position is significant. His experience isn’t typical of a primary winner but I have no problem with him trying.

[Boo1]

44. He can certainly try

but I just don't see him winning the nomination.

[Renew Deal]

45. It depends on who is running

And what is happening in the Republican ticket. I also wonder how electable voters will consider him. If they don’t consider him electable in the GE, it will be even tougher. I don’t think there is a clear front runner from the big name candidates.

[Boo1]

48. Democrats will smell blood in the water

And be heavy favorites in 28. There will be no shortage of candidates in the primary.

[pinkstarburst]

57. Either the party decides it's all straight white christian males

from here on out, which means we're pretty much limited to Newsom, Walz, Kelly, or a few other choices that have even less of a national profile, or we decide we're willing to not be limited by that. I personally don't think Walz and Kelly do well enough in front of the camera in interviews to play well before the media, though I think they are decent people and they remind me a lot of Joe Biden in that regard. Terrible in speeches but good, decent people. We could do much worse. But I think in this day and age, media savvy plays a big role and if we go that route, I think it will be Newsom unless something comes out about him a la Swalwell.

But I find it wild that some on DU are suggesting the country is too bigoted for gay men, but they'll elect a Black woman. That would be an incredibly foolish risk where we wouldn't figure out we had gotten ourselves in trouble until it was too late and general election voters weren't going for it. It would be foolish to discount a candidate because we think the country is too bigoted for a gay man and then think it's not going to cost us a lot of votes from young people and Muslim voters to put a Jewish guy on the ticket, especially with what's currently going on in Israel.

[fujiyamasan]

47. He's welcome to try but transportation isn't really considered prestigious like Secretary of State, defense, or AG

I’m not getting into homophobia nationally. It’s harder to predict in terms of swing states. It also appears that being a lesbian is less problematic electorally than being a gay married man. I can think of several lesbians elected statewide in elected offices in swing states; not men.

[pinkstarburst]

55. He got 2.5% on his first run

You also have to factor in that Kamala Harris did so poorly in the same primary (placing far below Buttigieg) that she dropped out before voting even started. Her popularity ratings did not improve during her time as vice president and that "experience" did not translate to voters wanting to vote for her.

At this rate, I suspect it will be Newsom as he ticks all the boxes and has a national profile while no one else does at the moment, and if we're discounting someone like Pete for being gay, that means Harris is out of the running too (newsflash: if the country is too bigoted to elect a gay man, we're too bigoted to elect a Black woman too--you can't have it both ways), but we'll have to see.

[DonCoquixote]

39. he better be able to explain

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/how-buttigiegs-decision-on-police-chief-shadows-his-presidential-run

the fact he fired a black chief of police because he caught cops saying that n word,

from the article:
Share on Facebook
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How Buttigieg's decision on police chief shadows his presidential run
Politics Jan 16, 2020 12:20 PM EDT
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Karen DePaepe had been waiting all day for a call back from Pete Buttigieg.

It was March 2012, and the 30-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, had just decided to replace the city's first African American police chief over complaints that he illegally wiretapped police officers' phone calls.

DePaepe, who oversaw the department's phone system, had called the mayor to try to talk him out of removing the popular chief. She wanted to tell him the situation was not that simple. It was DePaepe who discovered a mistakenly recorded phone line, and, she says, heard white police officers making racist comments. She said in an interview with The Associated Press that she reported what she heard to the chief, and the recording continued.

[Duncan Grant]

40. He'll force the field to elevate the discourse.

His candidacy is a good thing. From all outward appearances, Pete looks like a very principled man with unimpeachable integrity. I’ll be disappointed to learn otherwise.

[CTyankee]

43. Consider my hand raised! I am proud to be among his devoted followers!

And it is a pleasure, indeed!

[bif]

49. I wish he'd run for governor of Michigan first.

[FakeNoose]

50. Yes, or spend a few years in Congress making alliances and getting ready

I believe Pete Buttigieg is the future of our Party ... but he's still young. He can afford to wait a few years and get a little more experience. He did a great job in Biden's cabinet as Transportation Secretary.

[Celerity]

53. Governor is a very tough lift for a person who has only just moved to a state. US Senate would be much easier IMHO (see

Hillary in NY, for but one example). I so wish he had run for the US Senate in MI this year, as all 3 of the top Dems running in 2026 are young (as is, to a lesser degree, the other MI Dem US Senator, Slotkin, who turns 50yo in July) so unless (nightmare) the older MAGAt Mike Rogers (who will be almost 70 years old at the end of a first term) wins, there may no be an opening for a MI US Senator for 25, 30 (or even more) years (again, barring some Rethug slipping in down the road).

[pinkstarburst]

61. I also wish Pete had run for MI senator

For that matter, I also wish Harris had run for CA governor.

[Tommy Carcetti]

51. *If* 2028 is a free and fair election, I could see Pete making an Obama like surprise

I think his “diversity” (for a lack of a better term) could be turned into an asset like Obama did in 2008, simply because—and I have to be very careful how I say this—I think his gravitas persona is palatable enough to Middle Americans who might otherwise be hesitant to elect a gay man as President.

Of course 2028 is much different than 2008. Assuming Trump doesn’t kick it but also doesn’t attempt some extra-Constitutional craziness like try to force a third term on us, say Pete wins over JD Vance or whatever patsy the Republicans put forth. Then Trump decides he just doesn’t want to leave. After January 6th, it’s not that unimaginable.

[travelingthrulife]

52. Whoot! He would be a great Pres.

[Callie1979]

54. Great guy. Can't win in '28. Sorry. COULD win Senate though.

I know I'll catch hell but people need to understand the importance of WINNING '28 (AND '26)
And I dont care who or what group or whatever needs to step aside to make that happen
The WORLD is at stake

[Emile]

56. Kamala Harris is talking about running again too.

[Norrrm]

58. I don't think there is any realistic chance of him making it.

I think he would be able to do a good job BUT...

the party of child molester Trump would hammer him for the gay factor.

Why are right wingers and the religious right so dead set against gays, trans, and others? --- Misdirection.

Republican Sexual Predators, Abusers, and Enablers Pt. 61

https://www.dailykos.com/blogs/CajsaLilliehook

[stopdiggin]

60. Still not sure this really happens

And I think there's a LOT of decisions made (reexamined and then remade) in the next two years.
(and not only by Pete)

[lindysalsagal]

62. He's great but unelectable. We've lost twice with great candidates

Who can't jump the hurdle of bias: HRC and Harris. Obama was male and straight and marginally Christian. I really believe we need another Obama.

[Demnation]

63. Yes, yes, yes!

[Kingofalldems]

65. If he is the nominee--we will lose.

[WarGamer]

67. My clear #1 choice... he'd bring that calm competence back to the White House that Obama brought.

[Wanderlust988]

68. America is not ready for a woman president, much less a gay man with a husband.

America is used to First Ladies, not First Gentleman's. I love Pete as a person, but I don't know why people on here think this country is ready for this. We are all open-minded, but most Americans are not. Pete might win 5 states. Latinos are very homophobic and we'd get clobbered with Latino voters. Also southern, church going, African-Americans,are not voting for him. So you can forget winning GA or NC. That's a goner. Pete's campaign is just a fantasy with most coastal, white liberals. That's not a winning coalition. But he has every right to run for President. God Bless him.

[Bumbles]

70. He was my first choice in 2020.

Still is.

[crimycarny]

72. To everyone who is saying Pete can't win because his is gay--I disagree

In our politics, if you're anything but a white straight Christian male (if you're a woman, gay, black, muslim), you must have the "it" factor that allows you to ascend the attempts to place you in that "other" box. Pete has that "it" factor, Obama had the "it" factor, and Mamdami had that "it" factor.

Look at Pete's popularity with the Fox crowd when he did the Fox Town Hall with Chris Wallace in the run-up to the 2016 election. He got a standing ovation after his reply about abortion for heaven's sake (why he is pro-choice), then he'd go to a Democratic rally and get standing ovations there as well.

I honestly believe that Pete's being gay is only going to be an issue for the hard-line right wing that wouldn't vote for a Democrat regardless. I think he will have a huge appeal to Independents (crucial), young people--a very important voting block who may be more motivated to get out and vote for someone different than the usual old, white, straight male--and dip into the non-MAGA GOP base.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

73. It's time.

Good luck Pete.

May INTELLIGENCE reign over SOCIAL BIGOTRY.

[DenaliDemocrat]

74. I like Pete. I think he has no chance of winning.

The rust belt and south will never accept a gay man as President. I hope they prove me wrong

[Cha]

75. Pete Buttigieg is so Brilliant!

[VanceFan]

76. Great way to lose

This country is too bigoted to elect a gay man. They will not even accept a woman!

[Funtatlaguy]

79. Unfortunately, I agree.

Pete is brilliant.
Wish our homophobic country didn’t care that he’s gay.

[Autumn]

77. I am in !

[J_William_Ryan]

80. "This country is still too ignorant."

Correct – and bigoted and hateful.