INDIANAPOLIS — Thirteen days ago — and, boy, does it ever seem than that — Pete Buttigieg ended his extraordinary campaign to be president.
His was among the most unlikely of campaigns. He’d lost his only statewide race in Indiana, for treasurer in 2010. And while he served two terms as a mayor, it was of South Bend — a city of only about 102,000 residents.
Add to that something that would have made his campaign unthinkable only a few years ago: He’s gay, married to a man, Chasten Buttigieg, who was almost as visible on the campaign trail as himself.
I wanted to ask the man known as “Mayor Pete” about his run. I didn’t want to know why he decided to endorse former Vice President Joe Biden. I didn’t really care what he thinks of Bernie Sanders. I’m curious about which cabinet post he might best suit if that opportunity arose — Secretary of State? Defense? Both apt for a Navy Reserves veteran who served in military intelligence in Afghanistan.
I wanted to know what he learned about himself in the 305 days of his campaign that took him from obscurity to the winner of the Iowa caucuses and the second-place finisher of the New Hampshire primary.
And I wanted to know what he learned about America.
Someday, I expect he will call with his thoughts.
But I think I know some of what we learned, both about him and about the nation, in this race.
We learned he’s a dreamer. Because only a person who could envision a path to the White House when most people were still struggling to pronounce his name would have had the audacity to seek the Democratic Party nomination.
But we also know he’s a pragmatist. You could see that in the plans he laid out, such as Medicare for all who want it — an embellishment of current health care options that doesn’t require blowing up private health insurance. And you could see it in the way he dropped out of the race right before Super Tuesday. He didn’t spend days dithering. He could see his path had hit a dead end, and that staying in would only harm the party’s chances in November.
We learned that age does not define ability or experience. Biden, the 78-year-old who now appears most likely to win the Democratic nomination, was never a match for the 38-year-old Buttigieg on the debate stage. Buttigieg knew how to succinctly sell his policies, never lost his cool and could deliver a political punch without seeming mean. If he didn’t come out the clear winner of every debate, he was at least always among the winners.
We also learned some things about the nation. We can move past our prejudices. At first, Buttigieg’s sexuality was the thing that got mentioned first about him, right alongside his day job as mayor of a mid-sized Midwest city.
By the end, that was no longer extraordinary — and no longer a required mention in news articles. Americans were more interested in his politics and policies than his personal life. They were more concerned about his relations with African-Americans in South Bend than his relations with his husband.
Of course, this wasn’t true of everybody. And Buttigieg knew there would be homophobic attacks if he were to win the nomination. Rush Limbaugh, the bilious radio blowhard, said of Buttigieg: “OK, how’s this going to look, 37-year-old gay guy kissing his husband onstage next to Mr. Man Donald Trump.”
And because his humor hasn’t matured beyond middle school, Limbaugh pronounced Buttigieg “Booty-judge” rather than the correct “Boot-edge-edge.”
Buttigieg didn’t respond with insults or name-calling. Instead, he said: “I love my husband. I’m faithful to my husband. Onstage, we usually just go for a hug, but I love him very much. And I’m not going to take lectures on family values from the likes of Rush Limbaugh.”
Which brings us to something else we learned: Faith is not the exclusive province of any political party. Buttigieg never shied from showing how his Episcopalian faith informed his policies and beliefs.
Perhaps some things haven’t changed much in politics. After all, after fielding the most diverse group of candidates ever, Democrats have ended up choosing between two old white guys.
But I think that has far more to do with long-established constituencies looking for the best chance to defeat Trump.
Pete Buttigieg will be back. And next time you won’t have to ask how to say his name.
Mary Beth Schneider is an editor at The StatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalists. Send comments to [email protected].
