Pete Buttigieg, citing need for generational change, joins 2020 Democratic presidential race

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who has signaled for months that he would try to leap from local to presidential politics, announced Wednesday that he will join the burgeoning cast of Democratic candidates in the 2020 race.

Buttigieg made his plans official in a video and email sent to supporters early Wednesday before taking part in the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Washington.

He announced in December that he would not seek a third term as mayor of the Indiana city, a move widely seen as a precursor to a presidential run. He said Wednesday he was setting up an exploratory committee for president, the legal mechanism allowing him to raise and spend money on behalf of his campaign.

Buttigieg suffused his announcement with references to his youth and the generational exception he represents compared with most of the Democratic field. He turned 37 on Saturday, making him the youngest entrant in the presidential race.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/pete-buttigieg-joins-the-democratic-race-for-the-2020-presidential-nomination/2019/01/23/daacff48-1ecc-11e9-9145-3f74070bbdb9_story.html?utm_term=.cf31071065c4&wpisrc=al_politics__alert-politics--alert-national&wpmk=1