In the bleak, small hours of November 9, 2016, reeling as America’s Electoral College handed the White House to an unstable goon, I made a vow: I would back the Democrat's presidential nominee in 2020. No matter what.

The problem? While even the least impressive of the men and women likely to vie for the nomination back then were infinitely preferable to Donald Trump, few were terribly inspiring. Some were born in the first half of the last century; others were finger-wagging scolds; one was the mayor of New York.

Then, earlier this year, a funny thing happened. And by funny I mean wonderful.

In mid-April, the mayor of a small Indiana city tossed his hat in the ring. A millennial, a veteran, and a well-read, thoughtful man of faith, he had a goofy grin, a hard-to-pronounce last name and, by all accounts, a charming husband.

As it happened, I already knew a bit about Pete Buttigieg. My wife heads a nonprofit that helps cities engage citizens in solving local problems. She has met countless mayors, and admires the traits shared by the best of them: common sense; a collaborative spirit; grit.

But Mayor Pete stood out. Mayor Pete, she said, should run for president.

I was skeptical. A nation that installed a septuagenarian draft-dodger in the Oval Office was unlikely to turn around and elect a married gay man in his 30s as president, no matter how accomplished he might be. Right?

Still, I paid attention.

Pete Buttigieg: 'Nominate me and you get to see the president stand next to an American war veteran and explain why he chose to pretend to be disabled when it was his chance to serve'

I heard Buttigieg speak from the heart about his decision to come out during his 2015 re-election bid — a contest he won in a landslide.

I studied how he handled the 2012 firing of South Bend's first African American police chief (poorly) and how he handled the firing's divisive fallout (admirably).

This summer, after a white South Bend police officer shot and killed a 54-year-old black man named Eric Logan, I watched as Buttigieg once again wrestled — openly, awkwardly — with his city's enduring racial ills and with America's centuries-old legacy of white-on-black violence. (Eric Logan's family filed a federal lawsuit against the officer, Sgt. Ryan O'Neill, and South Bend in June. O'Neill resigned from the force in July.)

I’ve watched, too, as Buttigieg has struggled to gain traction with black voters. One painful reason for this must surely be that socially conservative, churchgoing African Americans are less likely than other Americans to embrace same-sex marriage, or LGBTQ civil rights in general. And this resistance from a traditional, core Democratic constituency might doom Mayor Pete’s candidacy.

But Buttigieg, to his credit, is no quitter — and that, too, says something about him, and where he’s from. A stable, post-Cold War, Midwestern childhood shaped him. Military service taught him that trusting men and women of diverse backgrounds and faiths, and proving trustworthy himself, could literally keep him alive. Coming out to friends, family, and political foes freed him.

All of this has, evidently, helped forge that rare political animal: a man unafraid.

Few will argue that Pete Buttigieg is uniquely suited to this charged political moment. After all, seen through a particular lens, he is another white man vying for power. His detractors, meanwhile, dismiss his defining characteristic — a lifelong curiosity — as quaint, at best. (The New York Times derided Buttigieg’s "meaningless erudition" as "internetty smarts" — a phrase that, let’s face it, could only have been coined by someone with a terminal case of internetty smarts.)

Then there is his brief stint with McKinsey & Company, the consulting colossus implicated in heinous behavior around the globe. Little indicates that Buttigieg embraces the most mercenary of McKinsey's values — but his work there has certainly spooked some on the left.

In the end, Buttigieg takes heat from all sides: he's not gay enough (whatever that means); or he’s too gay (whatever that means); he's too centrist; too neoliberal; too wonky; too white.

But here's the rub: For more than two years, Donald Trump and his minions have undermined America’s national security; rewarded mega-polluters, predatory lenders, and other corporate thugs; emboldened white supremacists and home-grown terrorists; and demonized the weakest among us. Any 2020 Democratic contender — Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, even addled, handsy Joe Biden — would make for a more competent, more legitimate leader.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege” Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

With all that in mind, I’m sticking with the candidate whose positions on healthcare, climate change, racial justice, reproductive rights, income inequality, and gun control jibe most closely with mine; the candidate who refrains from shouting and finger-pointing whenever he appears in public; one whose humor is perfectly gauged to skewer fringe-right demagogues and frauds; one who has acted and sounded presidential at every turn, ever since he decided to run.

Pete Buttigieg is mired in single digits in most polls, but from the start he has sparked an uncanny, long-dormant sensation in Americans across the political divide.