WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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Pete Buttigieg announced yesterday he’s in the running for the Democratic Presidential nomination. The second-term mayor of South Bend, IN is 37 years old, making him one of the youngest presidential candidates in history. Buttigieg is also the first openly-gay executive official in Indiana. He announced he was gay in June of 2015, before being re-elected as South Bend’s mayor that November. Buttigieg made the announcement he’ll seek the Democratic Party’s nomination for President yesterday, in South Bend.
Buttigieg is one of 18 Democratic candidates seeking the party’s presidential nomination. He is the youngest candidate to announce a run for the presidential nomination. Hawaiian congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has also announced a bid for the democratic nomination. Gabbard turned 38, on Friday.
Today is the filing deadline for the Federal Elections Commission’s first quarter reports. The FEC requires federal elections campaigns to report their financial contributions on a quarterly basis. So far, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders leads Democratic candidates, with 28 million dollars raised. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is in second place, with over 11 million dollars raised. Buttigieg ranks sixth in total campaign dollars raised in this first quarter, at around six and a half million dollars. He’s out raised by Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and Former Maryland Congressman John Delaney. As of this afternoon, Buttigieg is out-raising New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, according to preliminary filings with the FEC.
