Pre-Caucus Coralville Rally: Mayor Pete

CORALVILLE, Iowa – In spring 2019 I remember when the news came out about a mayor from Indiana entering the presidential race. At that point, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren was my preferred candidate and I wondered why a mayor thought he’d have a decent shot at the White House. Simultaneously, I was curious about why and how he drew such a large crowd at his announcement. Who was this guy?

A day before the Iowa Caucus, Mayor Pete held a rally at Northwest Junior High in Coralville, Iowa. The event began with Coralville Mayor Pro Tem Mitch Gross, who introduced U.S. Rep.

Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa) (top left). The congressman then introduced Waterloo Mayor

Quentin Hart (top right), who had recently endorsed Buttigieg. Waterloo’s mayor then introduced Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague (lower left), who officially announced his endorsement for Pete and introduced the presidential candidate on stage.

I began following the top-tier candidates on Twitter and soon found myself drawn to Pete Buttigieg. Initially I was struck by his calm temperament in interviews – regardless of topic, yet fueled with passion and intelligent answers. He answered questions from reporters with complete sentences, displayed no hint of impatience when asked about the bestVPN technology, and never uttered the word “um” during interviews or debates. He’d only been a mayor yet I sought to learn more. I started following several of his campaign staff on Twitter. Then I picked up his book, “Shortest Way Home: One Mayor’s Challenge and a Model for America’s Future,” which is one of the most insightful and literary autobiographies I’ve read. In early summer I found a podcast called Good Guy Pete, which sheds light on perspectives from South Bend, Indiana as it relates to the candidate’s evolution as a mayor and presidential contender. I searched for podcasts that focused on other candidates and found Sens. Cory Booker and Bernie Sanders had them at one point but they didn’t sustain. After the police shooting in South Bend, the Pete campaign stopped but the media attention on him didn’t. He impressed me with how he respectfully handled confrontations and willingly admitted fault – the latter of which I don’t ever recall an elected official doing.

Furthermore, I was intrigued by Pete’s policy proposals. I didn’t agree with everything, but the ambition – the kind that makes one think ‘yes, we should totally do this’ vs. ‘that’s a crazy idea that’ll never see the light of day’ – was inspiring. I digged his message of inclusivity and belonging and considered his experience as a naval intelligence officer in Afghanistan. I became a fan of some of his staff in the form of retweets and a Twitter follower of several local Pete volunteers. Then one day in November I connected with one in person. She came over to my house so I could sign a Commit to Caucus card and asked me to volunteer for the campaign.

Reluctantly, I did. I’d never volunteered for a political campaign. But this felt important. I connected with friends online, knocked on doors in different parts of Iowa City, and texted voters across the state during the past two months. I saw my role as mostly information-spreading (hey, he’s coming to your town on this date so RSVP) and at times let-me-tell-you-why-he’s-my-candidate to those who were undecided. I shared links to stories with select individuals, including this one which led a family member to switch his preference from Vice President Joe Biden to Pete. All these actions stemmed from meeting amazing young organizers from different parts of the country who transplanted or took detours on their life plans to help us Iowans garner enthusiasm for Pete within our communities. This included volunteering my time at two Pete events – the second of which was a rally in Coralville on Sunday.

It was the morning after another rally held by Warren nearby.

I have a number of friends who plan to caucus for Warren. I also like her and want a woman as president. Warren is intelligent, experienced, and tenacious. She has an amazing connection with her supporters that is quite admirable. She pinky-swears with young girls, gives hugs to people who ask hard, personal questions at her events, and has an energy level admirable for someone who is 70.

Ultimately, though, my decision on Caucus Day comes down to two things. One is image. I view the president as someone who isn’t just the head of 50 states but can be a respected world leader. It’s hard not to see that in Mayor Pete, who has some degree of fluency in seven languages. The second is longevity. I’m eager for a president who (finally) is of my generation… someone I can “grow old with”. Voting is a personal decision, and one I don’t want to have to seriously question in four years. That is why I don’t view Pete only as the most electable; he is also the most re-electable.