As Pete Buttigieg Campaigns in Utah, He Gets Another Beehive State Endorsement, From Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall Rhett Wilkinson Follow Feb 18 · 4 min read

Before Pete Buttigieg’s “town hall” in Utah, people wearing Black Lives Matter shirts chanted “Pete is a racist!” and “Black Lives Matter” as supporters of Buttigieg chanted “Buttigieg!”

That sort of energy accompanied Union Events Center in Salt Lake City for the Presidents Day event.

Buttigieg said he doesn’t usually like surprises, but the Democratic presidential candidate was “honored” to get an endorsement from Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. Mendenhall made the endorsement while speaking immediately in advance of Buttigieg.

At a Utah town hall with Pete Buttigieg, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall endorsed him. (photo credit: Associated Press)

“I know as I think you know that Pete is the Democratic candidate who can beat Donald Trump,” Mendenhall said. “We all know that Mayor Pete has been able to gather up some awesome endorsements.”

Other endorsers in Utah have included Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, who helped lead the event; Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson and her father, Ted Wilson, who served as Salt Lake City mayor from 1975 to 1985.

Buttigieg, the current delegate leader whose campaign, he said in Salt Lake, started with a staff of four, talked about a variety of items, including defeating Donald Trump, Mitt Romney’s impeachment vote, immigration, love of country, Medicare, war, Betsy DeVos, prescription drug prices, gun policy and mental health, before taking a handful of submitted questions.

And of course, Buttigieg sought to continue his momentum.

“I am here to look you in the eye and ask for your vote,” Buttigieg said.

Other speakers included Kael Weston, a candidate for Utah’s 2nd congressional district, and Jade Velazquez, a leader of the Buttigieg campaign. Weston also had a friend speak briefly, impromptu.

Pete’s speech

Looking over the crowd, Buttigieg said “This is what it looks like to prove that there is no such thing as a permanently red state.”

Buttigieg said he gets comments of “you haven’t been marinating in Washington.”

“We want Washington to run a little more like our best-run cities and towns,” Buttigieg said.

Buttigieg then turned to Trump.

“Aren’t you ready to put the chaos behind us? ... to put the corruption behind us? … the tweets behind us?” Buttigieg said. “And I don’t think those are even partisan statements anymore. … (There are) independents who feel the exact same way.”

Buttigieg then said “future former Republicans” feel that way, too.

Regarding getting rid of Trump, “the Senate wasn’t prepared to do its duty,” Buttigieg said.

Someone in the crowd then yelled out “Mitt Romney!”

“Your senator … I agree followed his conscience on this matter because he was more worried about his relationship with his conscience and his maker than … the Republican Party,” Buttigieg said to cheers.

“The Senate may have been the jury then, but the verdict … it’s up to us, so we better get this right,” Buttigieg said.

“As far as I can tell, the only economic promise he has kept is cutting taxes on the wealthy,” Buttigieg said.

Buttigieg then mentioned God not belonging to a political party, to big cheers, while saying that Buttigieg is a “person of faith.” He drew a contrast between Trump throwing military parades for himself versus Buttigieg serving in uniform.

Buttigieg cited an “international scene dominated by concerns about cybersecurity” and “pandemics.”

“We need to look to the future in order to govern in a time like that,” Buttigieg said.

Buttigieg sais there is a need to see a “bigger picture” beyond a “revolution” and a “status quo,” saying that someone needs to “govern.”

“An American majority … knows that our country has grown stronger through immigration,” Buttigieg said.

“You can’t love a country if you hate half of the people in it,” Buttigieg said.

Buttigieg also said that Americans must honor their troops and “end endless war.”

It’s also time for a secretary of education that believes in public education, Buttigieg said. The current secretary of education is Betsy DeVos.

Buttigieg also said that the country needs to talk about mental health and addiction as it does about physical health.

An 11-year-old boy asked Buttigieg about prescription drug pricing because he is concerned about affording insulin, Buttigieg said.

“That shouldn’t even be his problem,” Buttigieg said.

A 13-year-old told Buttigieg that she asked for a bulletproof backpack for Christmas. Buttigieg then said that a “common-sense gun law” is needed.

A cheer of “Pete! Pete! Pete!” followed when Buttigieg said that there shouldn’t be “the glorification of the president,” but an “empowerment … of the American people.”

After going through submitted questions, Buttigieg said he has the experience of having wondered as a teenager in Indiana “if I was ever going to belong ... or knowing what is was to be in love.” Buttigieg is gay.

“The teenager (is) standing before you as a candidate for president of the United States,” Buttigieg said to another cheer of “Pete! Pete! Pete!”