When Pete Buttigieg, aka “Mayor Pete,” launched into the national spotlight in March 2019, he was received with delight by the main stream media. A gay mayor from Indiana who is articulate and smart? An Afghan vet and Rhodes scholar who speaks seven languages? One who openly slams Mike Pence and has the audacity to run for president? What a story!

It certainly made for some cheeky political cartoons.

But no one expected the 37-year-old “wunderkind” to get far in the race, much less be sitting, in November 2019, in first place in Iowa and New Hampshire and in 2nd place nationally in some polls, a tight 4th in the RCP.

No one expected him to be outpolling a half-dozen senators, governors, and well-known political figures. After all, the guy came out of nowhere and was “just” a mayor with an unpronounceable last name.

That was then; this is now. As Pete himself has said “When you go from adorable to formidable, the knives come out.”

The knives have certainly come out. Thanks to his front-runner status, Buttigieg has been under attack from the far left, which is determined to see Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren in the White House. There are attacks that Buttigieg is only winning because he is “white” or “male”, ignoring his status as the first gay candidate and the fact that other white males have washed out. The mainstream media have beaten their own narrative to death on every show — that Buttigieg has no appeal to Black voters. And no doubt all of these attacks are amplified and spread by Russian bots to whom a leader like Buttigieg would be anathema.

In fact, the only candidate who DOES appeal to Black voters is Joe Biden, who polls at 43% with Black voters in South Carolina. In the latest Quinnipiac poll, Sanders, who ran a national campaign in 2015, has only 11% support among Black voters, Buttigieg has 4% of the Black vote. Harris has 5% and Booker has 2%. So Buttigieg’s difficulty with Black voters apparently has nothing to do with the fact that he’s white or gay or with his record. His problem is Joe Biden, the fact that Biden is a “safe bet”, and is perceived to be the most “electable” against Trump. This may well shift if Biden loses in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Buttigieg is a front-runner because he is good — not just as a speaker, not just as a debater, not just on talk shows, but he is very, very good at politics. He has broken all expectations for fund-raising, for building his organization, and now for polling. This is because Buttigieg approaches politics from a deep philosophical conviction and a strategy born of those convictions.

Someday, doctoral students will write papers about Buttigieg and what he did in 2020. For now, you’ll have to make do with this Medium essay.

The Deep Political Philosophy of Pete Buttigieg

The success of “Mayor Pete” makes more sense when you understand that his campaign is rooted in a deep philosophy of politics he’s been developing his entire life.

Pete Buttigieg is not just running for president. He is running to change politics as we know it. He is running to bring in a new era as influential and game-changing as the New Deal Era or the Reagan Era.

An early childhood steeped in politics

The son of two Notre Dame professors, including a Maltese immigrant father with decidedly Marxist ideas, and a linguist mother, Buttigieg grew up steeped in politics. His parents regularly had dinner parties where politics were hashed around the table for hours. In a recent podcast, The Daily, Buttigieg recalled watching the Democratic and Republican conventions in 1988 with his parents. He was 6-years-old.

In high school, history and politics were favorite subjects, and he became class president his Senior year. He was a natural leader. His teacher, Julie Chismar, recalled how young Peter would befriend students others discarded or bullied.

A calling by the age of 18

Even at 18, Buttigieg was a critic of modern politics. This is a clipping from an interview with Buttigieg when he won a Profiles in Courage award for his essay on Bernie Sanders. Can you say “political prodigy?”

Even then, Buttigieg had a vision of what he wanted to do with his life and a plan to get there.

Gaining depth in his education

He was accepted to Harvard, studied Literature and History, was heavily involved in the Harvard Institute of Politics, and became the president of its Student Advisory Committee. He wrote a thesis on Puritanism in America. Already, we can see an understanding of American politics which ultimately informed his current campaign.

“Political actions in America usually require moral, not to say religious, legitimization in order to gain public approval,” Buttigieg wrote in the thesis. “It is clear that that first American mindset was not merely a first stage in American religion, but a founding doctrine of religion and history which influences political behavior and analysis to this day, particularly when it comes to international intervention.”

In this early quote we see hints of Buttigieg’s approach of leading with values and being very open about his own religious faith.

After Harvard, Buttigieg won a Rhodes Scholarship. The scholarship took him to Oxford where he took a program called Politics, Philosophy and Economics or “PPE”. PPE is the gold standard for budding Prime Ministers and those aiming at UK politics. It is probably the most prestigious political degree in the world. Buttigieg received a First — the highest grade possible.

In PPE, he studied the philosophy of politics. He can speak political philosophy with the best of them, such as in this 2012 interview with a Notre Dame professor on Kant and Rawls and an approach to local government.

In the video, Buttigieg discusses pragmatism, which posits that the best approach to policy is to select that which does the most good for the most amount of people, versus an approach which values the “highest ideals” for their own sake. We see this playing out, right now, in the Democratic primary.

Buttigieg, who refers to himself as a “progressive pragmatist” clearly favors the former approach. And in this Ezra Klein podcast (Apr 2019), Buttigieg and Klein discuss political philosophers and the theory of political change.

Somewhere in the process of learning to look at politics from a 10,000 foot viewpoint, Buttigieg cemented his own ideas — his theories about the political history in the US, about what was right and wrong with the Democratic party, and about what had been promised by government, and what it had failed to deliver, in his own lifetime. Most importantly, Buttigieg developed his vision about what a new era in America politics should look like, and what it would take to successfully win over the nation.

During his eight years of practical experience as mayor of his once dying home town, Buttigieg married philosophy to the realities of day-to-day governing of a diverse population. He also gained practical campaign experience from his own runs and from working on the campaigns of Clinton, Obama, Kerry, and Jill Long Thompson.

At 37, he was ready.

Pete and Chasten Buttigieg with Hillary Clinton during her 2016 campaign.

A Letter from Flyover Country

In Dec 2016, after watching Trump win the election, Buttigieg wrote an op ed expressing his thoughts about where the Democratic party had gone wrong. The op-ed was entitled A Letter From Flyover Country. He called for a return to a discussion of values — freedom, fairness, families, and the future. In this we can see echoes of his thesis on Puritans. He also called for the Democratic party to return its attention to the Rustbelt and rural areas of the country and not to simply cede them to Republicans.

His DNC Chair Run

In January of 2017, Buttigieg ran to chair the Democratic National Committee in order to help guide the party in this shift in perspective. He spoke about these values in his speeches and debates. But Buttigieg ultimately dropped out of the race after being encouraged by party leaders to do so. The establishment backed Perez. But in his run, Buttigieg excited and awakened many young democrats who now support his presidential campaign.

The Philosophy of the Buttigieg Campaign

The ideas in the Letter from Flyover County can be seen in his own campaign strategy.

There’s no such thing as a permanently red state.

Democrats need to stand for something, not play defense off Republican talking points.

Lead with values. You can win over voters, even if they disagree with you on policy, if they respect your values.

Values most people share naturally lead to progressive policies. For example, feeding the hungry and caring about the dignity of other people.

Left and right are not as important as enacting the right policies to make people’s lives better (a pragmatic approach). By putting yourself in a labeled box you risk turning off voters you can otherwise reach.

No one is “bad” based on who they voted for in the past. It is leadership that brings out the best or worst in people. Everyone is welcome in Buttigieg’s big tent.

The campaign should reflect the way you intend to govern. Buttigieg’s campaign is highly diverse — majority female and 40% PoC. And the “rules of the road” (respect, belonging, truth, teamwork, boldness, responsibility, substance, discipline, excellence, joy) provide a values-based framework upon which all work is built.

Putting the Philosophy Into Practice: The Campaign

Leading with Values

Buttigieg’s presidential campaign is putting his philosophy into practice. While other campaigns led with policy plans or are all about “fighting Trump”, Buttigieg lead his roll-out with values: Freedom, Security, Democracy. From the beginning, his stump speech outlined how we can all agree on those values, and how each value leads him to progressive ideas.

For example, “Freedom” can include the freedom to marry whom you chose or a woman’s right to make her own reproductive choices. It can include the freedom to start a small business because you can get health care coverage from the government.

In this way, Buttigieg came out of the gate reclaiming values that had been hijacked by the Republican party. What he is saying to voters, even conservative voters, is: We can all agree that we believe in freedom, right? So maybe we can agree to extend the idea of freedom to these (traditionally progressive) areas too.

Appealing to the Heartland

Another move in line with Buttigieg’s philosophy is his outreach to the heartland.

We see it in everything Buttigieg does. A plan for rural America was one of his first released plans. It addresses population drain with Community Renewal Visas for highly-skilled immigrants, the closing of rural hospitals with telehealth and additional funding, promises Broadband for all, and more.

And Buttigieg very pointedly speaks to farmers. In the November debate, Buttigieg mentioned farmers over and over, and he’s the only one who did. He wants farmers to know he understands their problems and respects what they do — when the “coastal elites” only turn up their noses. He wants to enlist farmers to be part of the climate solution by investing in research to develop carbon-neutral farms and providing subsidies for farmers to convert. For farmers, this provides a relief from their fear of climate insecurity while offering a sense of pride and purpose.

Alvin is a farmer in rural Worth County. He sent me this photo this morning along with the words “America needs farmers and farmers need Pete.” — posted on Twitter here

In his campaigning, Buttigieg routinely goes to the reddest, most rural counties in Iowa and New Hampshire. He gets record crowds too. At many stops you see comments from reporters or residents saying they haven’t seen crowds like that since Obama. These people are listening.

This is incredibly smart. Whereas most current Dem candidates dismiss rural America as “Trump country”, Buttigieg can see that the door is cracked open, and he is prepared to bust it wide. Farmers who supported Trump in 2016 are now faced with years of losses due to Trump’s tariffs and are struggling with climate change while Trump and the Republicans still claim it’s not happening.

Some will undoubtedly remain loyal to the Republican party, but Buttigieg is winning over many. Reports on social media from people who live in rural areas say they can’t figure out what’s going on — Trump signs are going down and Buttigieg signs are going up.

In this rather astonishing video, people in Decorah, Iowa go nuts when Pete says other countries will have to “get used to” the president being gay.

Strange bedfellows? A 37-year-old, Harvard educated, pro-choice, progressive gay man and rural Iowa farmers? Maybe. But Buttigieg’s theory is proving true — form a connection through shared values, speak honestly and from the heart, listen to people’s problems and propose policies to address them, make sure voters understand how you’re gonna make their lives better. In the end, his sexuality means as little as Trump’s gold toilets or the color of Obama’s skin.

Obama-> Trump-> Buttigieg. Watch it happen.

And in case it’s not clear, what works in Iowa and New Hampshire can work through the middle of this country. This is the way we have a true blue wave and a complete rout. If Buttigieg is the nominee, he can not only win over these rural areas but have the “coat-tails” to turn the Senate blue as well.

This was his theory and, guess what? It’s working.

Ushering in A New Era

“To come of age in the 21st century is to see virtually every idea and policy put forth by the Republican party in your lifetime fail before your eyes when actually put into practice. Nothing they say actually works in the real world.”

Buttigieg is right. The rising tide does not lift all boats, and allowing the corporations more and more free reign has not improved the lives of the many but has led to egregious income inequality.

It is the failure of Reaganism that led to the brutal Trump era. Instead of being the populist savior as promised, Trump has been the ultimate expression of greed, wealth concentration, and self-serving corruption. If Trump remains in office, the next American era will be one of authoritarianism and oligarchy.

We cannot allow it to continue. It must be a “blip” between two more substantial eras.

As Buttigieg told the Young Democrats: “This is how the conservative era, which has dominated our lifetimes, comes to an end. Republicans have strayed so far from the American people that their party is collapsing. This is the hinge point that we’re at, the moment between an old era and a new one. The New Deal era lasted for fifty years only to come to an end with Reagan. The Reagan Era ends with us.” (Pete’s speech to Young Democrats, 7/18/2019)

This is why a “simple mayor” from Indiana is winning the Democratic primary. Because he understands what this election is about. It’s not about fighting Trump. It’s about defining a new political era — one that all Americans can see themselves prospering in.

The crowd waits for Buttigeig in Council Bluffs, Iowa

So what does the Buttigieg Era look like?

It is defined by “progressive pragmatism” in which progressive ideas are implemented with practical plans and fiscal responsibility.

It is an era of “democratic capitalism” in which capitalism is encouraged and innovation rewarded, but if there is a conflict between “democracy” and “capitalism”, democracy comes first. This means ending Citizens United and the power of lobbyist to overcome the will of the people. And it means corporate profits cannot rise endlessly at the expense of workers.

It is an era that brings back a thriving middle class with the encouragement of unions, raising minimum wage, more worker protections, and providing federal benefits for the new gig economy workers and caretakers.

It is an era defined by a huge national project to confront climate change that enlists all Americans to work together to save the future for our children. This joint project goes a long way to healing the deep divides in our country.

It is an era in which we finally tackle big issues like racism, LGBTQ rights, immigration, disability, aging, and poverty with a spirit of compassion and justice.

It is an era in which our government, at every level, and our judiciary reflect the diverse gender, racial, and class makeup of the people.

It is an era in which nuance, discourse, acceptance, and forgiveness come back and bullying, cancel culture, “othering”, and purity tests go out of fashion.

It is an era in which our democratic republic and constitution are shored up. The holes revealed by Trump are duly patched with a double-seam. The ways in which Republicans have gamed and cheated the system are repaired so we have free and fair elections. Which means the Republican party — which will bounce back —will be forced to come up with a legit conservative agenda that can get a majority of votes fairly.

It is an era in which America regains her leadership on the world stage and helps define a progressive new world agenda.

It is an era in which we protect our elections from foreign interference and our shores from cyber threats, white nationalism, disinfo, and propaganda.

It is an era in which we have addressed the crisis of belonging, giving all Americans a sense of hope, purpose, and pride.

Will Buttigieg succeed?

Buttigieg has a strategy, and that strategy revolves around a deeply-held philosophy of politics. Yet it remains to be seen if he will win. He has the funding, he has the organization, he has the laser-focused message, and he has the vision. He is a charismatic and hard-driving candidate. And he is the ultimate anti-Trump — an honest, ethical man with a searing life purpose of service.

I would also say that he very well may win. He has a real chance of building a broad coalition that could sweep the polls given his approach to this race.

On the other hand, he started from zero in March and reaching out to an entire country is a long hill to climb, especially when the attacks on him will only increase. The primary is a long one, and anything could happen.

But. It is clear Buttigieg has the deepest message, and the right message for our time.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to try the Buttigieg Era.