(CNN) Three former Obama administration officials are endorsing Pete Buttigieg for president, as the South Bend, Indiana, mayor continues to stress comparisons between his presidential run and that of Barack Obama's.

Obama's former special assistant and personal aide Reggie Love is endorsing Buttigieg, the campaign said. Love, who began his time with Obama as deputy political director in his Senate office, was a ubiquitous presence at Obama's side during the 2008 presidential campaign and at the White House through most of his first term. The endorsement is a boost for Buttigieg from a high profile African American official from Obama's orbit at a time when the South Bend mayor is working to build support with black voters

Buttigieg is also being formally endorsed by Austan Goolsbee, who served as the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under Obama, and Linda Douglass, the former director of communications for the White House Office of Health Reform.

The Obama-era endorsements come at a time when Buttigieg is increasingly emphasizing parallels between his candidacy and Obama's 2008 run. Buttigieg has noted that both he and Obama are running on a message of hope and unity and are also running as relatively young candidates new to the political scene.

In a statement provided by the campaign, Love said that as the youngest candidate in Democratic race, he believes Buttigieg "can galvanize a new electoral body that is a more accurate representation of what America actually is."

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