SOUTH BEND — The mayor of South Bend announced Wednesday morning that he is forming an exploratory committee for the 2020 presidential elections.
"Right now our country needs a fresh start," Pete Buttigieg said in the video announcement.
Buttigieg announced back in December that he would not be running for a third term as mayor of South Bend, which led to speculation that he was looking at a possible presidential run.
"The reality is there's no going back, and there's no such thing as 'again' in the real world. We can't look for greatness in the past," he said in Wednesday's announcement.
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He was 29 years old when he was elected mayor of his hometown in 2011, and was the youngest mayor of a U.S. city with at least 100,000 residents at the time.
"I belong to a generation that is stepping forward right now," he said in Wednesday's announcement. "We're the generation that lived through school shootings, that served in the wars after 9/11, and we're the generation that stands to be the first to make less than our parents unless we do something different. We can't just polish off a system so broken. It is a season for boldness and a focus on the future."
Buttigieg came out as gay during his campaign for a second term in South Bend and was re-elected with 80 percent of the vote. He married his husband, Chasten Glezman, three years later.
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If he were to win the Democratic nomination, Buttigieg would be the first openly gay presidential nominee from a major political party.
If Buttigieg chooses to run for president, he'll join California Senator Kamala Harris, who announced her run on Monday, along with 6 other Democratic candidates.
"I belong to a generation that is stepping forward right now," he said in Wednesday's announcement. "We're the generation that lived through school shootings, that served in the wars after 9/11, and we're the generation that stands to be the first to make less than our parents unless we do something different. We can't just polish off a system so broken. It is a season for boldness and a focus on the future."
Buttigieg is also releasing a book in February about his life and his tenure leading South Bend.
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You can watch Mayor Buttigieg's full video announcement below.
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