The possibility of the first openly gay presidential candidate has become increasingly more possible with the announcement of our own neighboring South Bend Mayor, Pete Buttigieg, running for the 2020 Election for the Democratic Party.

On Jan. 23 Buttigieg made his planned presidential run known to the public. In early February, Buttigieg met the requirements in order to be declared a Democratic Candidate which requires him to have raised at least $500,000 or have been featured in at least three national polls.

On his electoral website, Buttigieg describes himself as belonging “to the generation that came of age with school shootings, the generation that provided the majority of the troops in the conflicts after 9/11, the generation that is on the business end of climate change, and the generation that—unless we take action—stands to be the first to be worse off economically than their parents.”

He has based his running off of themes which also relate to the eyes of the typical millennial, which consists of most young adults and those who will be able to vote in 2020 for the first time. Thus targeting a mass majority of the voting pool.

Even though older generations may disagree with the idea of a gay man having the possibility of running for the presidency. These prejudices can be overcome if he can use his abilities which were based upon the inclusion of all people, for the greater of the United States as a whole.

In an interview with The New Yorker he talks of subjects such as war and how

“

There’s this romantic idea that’s built up around war, but the pragmatic view is there are tons of people of my generation who have lost their lives, lost their marriages, or lost their health as a consequence of being sent to wars which could have been avoided.

— Pete Buttigieg

Addressing such topics as war is impeccably crucial. With tensions all across the globe on a constant roller coaster, we need someone with a strong opinion on war itself.

But instead of just focusing on what Pete Buttigieg plans to do if he wins the presidency, what he has already done needs to be recognized as well.

Contributing factors into his big 74% win in 2011 for the first term as South Bend mayor as well as his second term in 2015 where he would win with the 78 percentile of votes, includes his success as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and a graduate of Harvard University. He was also commissioned as a naval intelligence officer in the Navy Reserve in 2009 and deployed to Afghanistan in 2014.

Majoring in History and Literature at Harvard University (2005), he also earned his Rhodes Scholar (2007) where he received first-class honors in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE).

During his time as the mayor of South Bend, he has done a vast number of things for the benefit of his native city. He has spurred job growth as well as created funding for advanced industries for the betterment of the future.

As stated in his candidate page, he also establishes the fact that he “has more years of government experience than the president,” which is more a joke than a fact, considering Trump has zero experience, “more years of executive government experience than the vice president, and more military experience than anybody to walk into the Oval Office since President George H. W. Bush.”

So as a political figure, he stands behind emphasizing building a country where every resident regardless of race, religion, gender, or orientation can feel safe and included while also addressing vast populous problems occurring in the near future of our time.

In conclusion, regardless of your political view, it would be remarkable to have someone from around our small hometowns to have a shot at being one of the presidential candidates in the coming 2020.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the GENESIS staff. Reach Caleb Webb at [email protected].