Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg held a town hall in the influential early-contest state of Iowa on Tuesday, potentially fueling added speculation about another presidential run for the prominent Democrat.
Buttigieg held the town hall with VoteVets, a progressive political action committee advocating on issues like national security and veterans’ care, in Cedar Rapids, marking the first time he’s been back to Iowa since the end of the Biden administration.
The former 2020 presidential candidate noted that he’s not currently a public official, nor is he actively running for office and called on officials to take part in more events like this one. But his appearance comes as several rumored possible contenders for the 2028 Democratic nomination appear to be engaging in a shadow primary, as future candidates often do.
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) attended a town hall in Pennsylvania on Saturday, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) is headlining the South Carolina Democratic Party’s Blue Palmetto Dinner later this month, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) is attending the South Carolina and California Democratic parties’ state conventions at the end of the month.
In opening remarks, Buttigieg said the country is facing its “most profound test in generations” amid President Trump’s second term.
“We are being tested on nothing less than whether the United States of America is in fact the freedom-loving people that we believe and know ourselves to be,” he said.
“But I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe that America will meet that test and show itself to be that freedom-loving people and stand up not just for some lofty principle but most importantly, as every veteran knows how to do, stand up for each other,” he added.
Buttigieg took questions from audience members on a wide range of issues, including staffing cuts for the federal government, veterans’ mental health, White House aide Stephen Miller calling for a suspension of habeas corpus, voting rights and how Democrats can win back the trust of the public.
He argued that Democrats need to meet people “where they are,” including entering conservative spaces. He pointed to his regular appearances on Fox News, being a relatively rare Democrat who makes appearances on the network.
Buttigieg also called for Democrats to present a clear alternative rather than just oppose Trump.
“There’s this theory out there that if we just hang back, don’t do much, then the people in charge today will screw it up, then they’ll get blamed for it and then we’ll win,” he said. “I disagree.”
Analysts’ eyes will be on figures in the party like Buttigieg for these early moves as indicators of possibly ramping up toward running for the White House in a few years.
