Peter Buttigieg
The photo was originally added to Flickr by Gage Skidmore (https://flickr.com/photos/22007612@N05/48646115153). This image has not been edited.
Bio |
Pete Buttigieg is an American politician and is currently serving as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana. He is also running for the 2020 presidential election. |
Status and Position |
Current Mayor of Indiana |
Political Party and Jurisdiction |
Democrat, Indiana |
Elections |
Election Jurisdiction |
Started Campaign |
Campaign Status |
Poll Rankings (of the vote) |
| 2020 Presidential Election United States | United States | Yes | Dropped Out | N/A |
Campaign Financing |
Buttigieg believes that the influence of money in politics should be reduced, and supports overturning Citizens United. He is not accepting campaign contributions from the fossil-fuel industry, PACs, or federal lobbyists. |
Voting Rights |
Voting rights are a focal point of the Buttigieg campaign, and he has proposed a multitude of measures to expand voting rights protections in the United States. His plan includes introducing policy to provide automatic voter registration, allow for same-day voter registration as well as early and mail voting, and make Election Day a national holiday. He would also seek to abolish the electoral college, ban political gerrymandering, and grant statehood to Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. so that their populations can participate fully in US democracy. Buttigieg also believes that voting rights should be extended to felons who have finished serving their sentences. |
Opinions on Issues
Issues |
Stance |
Summary |
| Universal Healthcare | For | Would want to see a program of universal healthcare implemented somehow. Buttigieg believes there is a need for universal healthcare, but is critical of Medicare-for-All proposals. Instead, he supports what he has coined ‘Medicare for All Who Want It’. This program would allow people to buy into Medicare and would not prohibit private insurance options from functioning alongside public insurance. |
| Socialized Healthcare | For | Has expressed support for a number of healthcare proposals, including an expansion of the ACA. |
| Private Healthcare | For | His healthcare plan would allow private insurance to function alongside a public healthcare program. |
| LGBT Rights | For | Is an advocate for LGBT rights. As the only openly gay presidential candidate, Buttigieg is a strong supporter of LGBT rights. He is supportive of anti-discrimination legislation such as the Equality Act, and believes that the non-discrimination requirements in the Affordable Care Act should be enforced with more strength. He would reverse the Trump Administration’s transgender military ban and seek to extend more protection to LGBT asylum seekers. |
| Taxes | For | Has expressed support for a number of proposals that would increase taxes, particularly for wealthy Americans and corporations. Buttigieg supports a number of tax reforms. He would raise marginal income tax rates for higher tax brackets and would seek to close corporate tax loopholes. He has also expressed support for the idea of a wealth tax. |
| Flat Tax Rate | Against | Supports progressive tax rates. Buttigieg supports a number of tax reforms. He would raise marginal income tax rates for higher tax brackets and would seek to close corporate tax loopholes. He has also expressed support for the idea of a wealth tax. |
| Abortion | For | Buttigieg is pro-choice and would implement a number of protections for abortion access. Buttigieg believes that it is important for the government to ensure access to affordable reproductive care, including both contraception and abortions. If elected, he would appoint pro-choice judges, and has said that he would support repealing the Hyde Amendment. |
| Gun Control | For | Supports several gun control measures, including universal background checks. Buttigieg is an advocate for gun control. He has released a gun control proposal that includes universal background checks, bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and a national gun-licensing program. He supports red flag laws and would prohibit anyone convicted of a hate crime from purchasing or owning a firearm. He would also increase funding for research on the prevention of gun violence. |
| Assisted Suicide | For | Has said that he approves of it, given that the individual can first pass a psychological exam. Buttigieg is an advocate for gun control. He has released a gun control proposal that includes universal background checks, bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and a national gun-licensing program. He supports red flag laws and would prohibit anyone convicted of a hate crime from purchasing or owning a firearm. He would also increase funding for research on the prevention of gun violence. |
| Government Interference | For | Supports measures such as gun control and environmental regulations. |
| Planned Parenthood | For | Believes Planned Parenthood provides essential healthcare services for women. |
| Welfare | For | Has said that providing welfare is a key responsibility of the government. Buttigieg believes that providing welfare is a key responsibility of the government. As Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, he supported affordable housing programs and opposed work requirements for welfare programs such as Medicaid. He has also proposed plans to expand Social Security. |
| Welfare | Unknown | Has not made any public statements on the issue. |
| Death Penalty | Against | Would abolish the death penalty. Would abolish the death penalty.Does not believe that capital punishment contributes productively to the justice system, and would seek to see it abolished. |
| Mandatory Prison Sentence | Against | Supports abolishing mandatory minimums. |
| Military Spending | Against | Has said he would seek to make US military spending more efficient. |
| War on Terrorism | Against | Supports ending the ongoing War on Terror. |
| Foreign Policy International Interaction | For | Would recommit to international institutions and allies. Buttigieg has said that he would immediately recommit to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. He would also seek to repair relationships with key allies that he perceives to have been damaged under the Trump Administration. |
| United Nations power | For | Defends UN charters. |
| Nationalism | Against | Has criticized Trump's encouragement of nationalism. |
| Free Markets | For | Has spoken against policies that limit international free markets. Would also allow for the functioning of private industries alongside his government programs, such as in the case of healthcare. Buttigieg has been critical of the Trump Administration’s trade policy, particularly its use of tariffs. |
| Brexit | Unknown | Has not been vocal on the issue. |
| Affirmative Action | For | Would increase the number of affirmative action programs. |
| Government Spending | For | Supports increasing government spending on social programs, but not on defense. |
| Charter Schools | Nuance | Has expressed concern that charter schools reduce the quality of public education, but has not advocated to discontinue funding. |
| Common Core | Against | Believes uniform standards are damaging to students. Buttigieg opposes Common Core standards and does not see them as being helpful for students. |
| Clean Energy | For | Believes the US should increase use of sustainable energy sources. Has voiced support for the Green New Deal the Paris Climate Agreement. Buttigieg has endorsed the Green New Deal and has expressed intention to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement. Buttigieg has said that if elected, he would increase energy efficiency standards and encourage the use of renewable energy. |
| Religious Freedom | Nuance | Does not believe that religious freedom includes the right to discriminate. Buttigieg is a supporter of religious freedom, but does not believe religious freedom claims should be used as a defense for discrimination. |
| Separation of Church and State | For | Believes there should be separation between church and state. |
| Slavery Reparations | Against | Has said he would not support reparations, but would be open to other remedies. |
| Border Control | Against | Buttigieg has been critical of ICE. Buttigieg opposes proposals to build a border wall along the Southern border wall. He would seek to restructure ICE if elected. |
| Passenger Profiling | Nuance | Is an advocate for racial equality, but has not been outspoken on this particular issue. It is worth noting that there has been some controversy about his handling of alleged racist policing as Mayor of South Bend, Indiana. |
| DACA | For | Would grant citizenship to DREAMers. |
| Sanctuary Cities | For | Believes that sanctuary cities should be protected. |
| Legalizing Marijuana | For | Buttigieg supports legalizing marijuana and expunging the records of those charged with marijuana-related offenses. |
The photo was originally added to Flickr by Gage Skidmore (https://flickr.com/photos/22007612@N05/48646115153). This image has not been edited.