Pete Buttigieg is showing no signs of slowing down ahead of the early caucus and primary votes. The 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful kicked off the new year by sharing positive news about his campaign’s fundraising to cap off last year.
According to the Buttigieg campaign, 326,000 donors gave money to the South Bend, Indiana mayor to raise a whopping $24.7 million in the fourth quarter. That means through his fundraisers and grassroots contributors Buttigieg was able to rack in more than $76 million in the 2019 calendar year.
The average donation in the fourth quarter was $33.
“These figures are even more astounding considering that Pete started this race less than a year ago as an unknown candidate, with just a few staffers and zero dollars in the bank,” campaign manager Mike Schmuhl said, via Yahoo! News.
That gives Mayor Pete plenty of cash to ramp things up ahead of Iowa, New Hampshire, and the other early-voting states as he looks to solidify himself as a top candidate for the Democratic nomination.
Buttigieg is currently leading in Iowa with 22 percent support among potential caucusgoers. Senator Bernie Sanders follows behind at 20 percent, while former Vice President Joe Biden has 18.8 percent support and Senator Elizabeth Warren has 16 percent. Buttigieg also polls in the top two for another early primary state, New Hampshire.
The Iowa Caucus will be held on February 3, 2020, so we will have to wait and see whether Buttigieg’s early support holds up and if he can continue to gain momentum in the race.
Pete Buttigieg Bio & Personal Life
Born: January 19, 1982 (37 years old)
Political Party: Democratic Party
Education: Saint Joseph’s High School, Harvard College, University of Oxford, Harvard University
Pete Buttigieg was born in South Bend, Indiana to Jennifer Anne Montgomery and Joseph Buttigieg, who were both professors at the University of Notre Dame. His father immigrated to the United States from Malta, while his mother was a lifelong Indiana native.
Buttigieg was a commissioned Naval intelligence officer in the Navy Reserve and deployed to Afghanistan in 2014. Buttigieg was deployed overseas for seven months. During his time in the military, he earned the Joint Service Commendation Medal for his counterterrorism work.
Buttigieg was just 29 years old when he was elected in 2011 and is currently in his eighth and final year as the Mayor of South Bend, Indiana. During his re-election big in 2015, Buttigieg won a whopping 80 percent of the vote.
Buttigieg is the first openly gay municipal executive in Indiana and has been married to his husband, Chasten Glezman, since June 16, 2018. The couple began dating in August 2015.