Pete Buttigieg

Biography

Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg, born in 1982 in South Bend, Indiana, is a Harvard graduate, Rhodes Scholar, and former Navy intelligence officer. He became the first openly gay major-party presidential candidate when he won the 2020 Iowa caucuses. He served as Secretary of Transportation from 2021 to 2025. As of May 2026, he leads the Democratic primary field at 18% in Emerson College polling, having built a strong national donor base and media presence.