It seems a given that anyone running for high elected office must publish a memoir or treatise (sometimes both) that tells their personal story and policy perspectives. Pete Buttigieg is one of the youngest politicians on the national stage, receiving as much attention for his age as for the other aspects of his life. In 2011, at age 29, he became the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, his first successful election, if you do not count his run for Senior Class President. Previously, he ran for Indiana State Treasurer and was defeated, along with many Democrats, in the Tea Party wave of 2010.
South Bend had a long but distant history as a manufacturing town. After the Studebaker plant closed in the early 60s, the town began a long slide into economic distress and limited opportunity for most of its citizens. Taking the helm as mayor while it was suffering another series of downturns after the Great Recession of 2008, his prospects were daunting. Buttigieg weaves a lyrical history of South Bend that could have been part of Studs Terkel’s great oral histories of the Midwest.
His route to adulthood followed an upward trajectory that led him to Harvard and Oxford, after he was chosen a Rhodes Scholar. The next step was an unlikely decision to join the Naval Reserves. The Ivy League produces few participants in military service but he felt the patriotic duty to join, particularly since he studied Arabic and felt it would be an essential asset to soldiers assigned to intelligence. One funny anecdote tells how fraught it was to even volunteer. An recruiter listed his minor at Harvard as “aerobics,” not “Arabic.” Eventually he was called up from the reserves and deployed to Afghanistan.
Few politicians can craft a narrative that is readable, interesting and revealing. Perhaps because he is so intelligent and has lived a varied (though still young) life, his story is quite good. How do you tell stories of a mayor’s duties and challenges that focus on the sewer system, minority relations, economics and potholes that does not elicit yawns?
Given the climate in Indiana and the U.S., Buttigieg had to figure out his personal life and how to divulge his sexual orientation in a truthful, measured way. Governor Mike Pence almost destroyed his own political future when he signed a state Religious Freedom Restoration Act. It was a license to discriminate and the backlash was harsh. Meanwhile, the nation awaited the Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality. Buttigieg wrote an op-ed in the local paper that finally spoke his truth. His worries of the potential negative reactions from constituents was unfounded. He secured a second term as mayor by a huge margin.
Now that his former secret was out, it was time to pursue a relationship openly and honestly. The beginning of his relationship with his husband, Chasten, is a “meet-cute” tale suitable for a gay romantic comedy. They both seem grounded and in love, even if it took a long time for them to reach that point.
Who knows how Buttigieg will fare as an announced candidate for President in 2020? He might not have the clout to secure the nomination but I think his work experience as mayor, military service in the reserves and a personal story that resonates, will at least be an asset and may even determine policy goals for the election. We will know next year.
SHORTEST WAY HOME
ONE MAYOR’S CHALLENGE AND A MODEL FOR AMERICA’S FUTURE
By Pete Buttigieg
Liveright Publishing
Available from AMAZON and leading bookshops everywhere
REVIEW: STEPHEN COY