Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg said the 2020 election is a chance to celebrate and vote for the nation’s more inclusive nature.
Addressing the Democratic National Convention, Mr. Buttigieg said Thursday that Joseph R. Biden offers voters a chance to move away from the mean-spirited and close-minded approach that President Trump has embraced on his watch.
Mr. Buttigieg said his own story, as a gay man who ran for president, shows progress is possible if leaders step up
“Love makes my marriage real, but political courage made is possible, including that of Joe Biden who stepped out ahead even of this party when he said marriage equality ought to be the law of the land,” Mr. Buttigieg.
“There is a long way to go, but if this much can change between 2010 and 2020, imagine what could change between now and 2030,” he said.
The 38-year-old made a major splash in the presidential primary race, surpassing expectations and establishing himself as a force in the Democratic Party. He served in Afghanistan as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
He also was among the former presidential contenders who rallied behind Mr. Biden, helping to give him a bounce ahead of Super Tuesday, which made it clear that the former vice president was the primary frontrunner.
Mr. Buttigieg on Thursday said Americans should dream big.
“Can America be a place where faith is about healing and not exclusion?” he said. “Can we become a country that lives up to the truth that Black lives matter?”
“Will we handle questions of science and medicine by turning to scientists and doctors?” he said. “What will we do to make America into a land where no one who works full time can live in poverty?”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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