Pete Buttigieg talks about possible 2028 presidential run during visit to Iowa
Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who is in Iowa to rally support for the Democratic Party, talks about the possibility of a 2028 presidential election.
DES MOINES — Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said during a visit to Iowa that he is keeping the door open to a possible 2028 presidential bid but is focused on the 2026 midterm elections.
After rallying phone bank volunteers with Democratic House candidate Sarah Trone Garriott in Des Moines on July 13, the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucus winner and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, responded with one word when asked if he would rule out a run for the White House in 2028.
“No,” Buttigieg said.
“I already have a lot of great friends in Iowa,” Buttigieg told reporters. “It’s been fun to rekindle those relationships for the ticket that’s on the ballot now in 2026. I’m very focused on this year’s elections. The future will come, but right now we have a series of very important elections in front of us.”
Buttigieg was in Iowa to boost Democratic state and federal candidates ahead of the high-stakes 2026 midterm elections. He headlined the Iowa Democratic Party’s annual Freedom and Justice Fundraiser in Altoona, Iowa, on July 12 and praised the party’s renewed momentum after years of political headwinds.
It was his second trip to Iowa State in just over a year, having stumbled in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, last May. That’s because Iowa is home to many competitive races that have made their name across the nation. The NDP is focusing on the 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts, and the open U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races in Iowa are becoming fiercely competitive.
“I’m so happy to be back in Iowa,” Buttigieg told the crowd during his brief remarks, drawing cheers. He called on volunteers to work toward a future where all Americans have access to affordable health care, where the wealthiest pay their fair share of taxes, where infrastructure and public services are adequately funded, and where the American flag is seen as “red, white, and blue, not red or blue.”
“It’s the right thing to do to stand up against abuse and brutality and everything that’s going on right now,” Buttigieg said. “We must also remember that we support the kind of leadership that can get us through this point, because there will come a time when our job will not just be to stop everything that is wrong now, but to build what comes next.”
Buttigieg’s profile ahead of the midterm elections
Buttigieg has become a prolific midterm campaign activist among the burgeoning 2028 presidential field, endorsing candidates in more than 30 races and raising his profile with trips to battleground states.
Tron Garriott, who is running to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn in south-central Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, said he appreciates Buttigieg’s “bringing that humanity to service and showing up and connecting with people.” She spoke to a room packed with dozens of volunteers to thank them for their support of her campaign.
“What we see are very sophisticated people who are all eager to get into politics and rise through the ranks and win and build power,” Tron Garriott said. “And Pete, he cares about people and shows up to connect with people and talk about what it’s like to be a real human being doing this hard work. That’s what I need to know: ‘Hey, it’s possible to do this job and have a family and be a part of the community and be a good neighbor.’ And he models exactly that for candidates like me.”
Mr. Buttigieg emerged as the front-runner in the Iowa Democratic caucus, which had previously been the nation’s leading party, before losing the nation’s No. 1 spot four years later. Since then, the Iowa Democratic Party has considered becoming nonpartisan unless its caucuses are placed near the top of the calendar.
Democratic National Committee members complicated that potential move in May by approving new fines and penalties for state parties that violate the 2028 presidential nominating calendar.
Speaking with reporters on Sunday, July 12, Buttigieg declined to take sides on whether the Iowa Democratic Party should oppose the national party on caucus status, saying he “respects” that he has no “role” in the process.
“Being here has made me a better candidate and a better public servant,” Buttigieg said. “It’s a process where you have to convince people, from former vice presidents to current vice presidents to total unknowns, to stand up in their cafeterias and backyards and in front of their neighbors and say why they want to be the right candidate.” “I think that process is incredibly valuable.”
Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufman said in a statement that Buttigieg should have made sure the Hawkeye State was at the front of the presidential nominating calendar.
“Pete is exactly right,” Kaufman said. “You can’t buy victory in Iowa. It’s a hand-to-hand fight, one gym, one diner, one VFW at a time. But he should have gone a step further and argued that Iowa should have taken the lead, that the national Democratic Party rigged Joe Biden’s nominating process, and that the Iowa Democratic Party failed to protect Iowa’s No. 1 status in the nation.”
Marissa Payne covers the Iowa Capitol and politics for the Register. Contact her by email: mjpayne@registermedia.com. Follow @marissajpayne on X.
