
Michigan Democratic Governor nominee?
Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current roleFormer Secretary of Transportation
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyModerate Democrat
Age44 years old (Jan 19, 1982)
GenderMale
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BackgroundPolitician
EducationHarvard University — A.B., History and Literature
Notable personal detailsPeter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg is an American politician and former U.S. Navy Reserve officer who served as the 19th U.S. Secretary of Transportation (2021–2025) and as mayor of South Bend, Indiana (2012–2020). He is a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2014 while serving in the Navy Reserve.
SourcesShowHide
Positions
Economy & Taxes
Supports raising taxes on high earners and corporations to finance expanded social programs, while increasing targeted tax credits for lower-income families. Proposals include raising the corporate tax rate, higher taxes on capital gains for the wealthy, a possible wealth tax or analogous taxes on capital income, a 0.1% financial transaction tax, and expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit and refundable child tax provisions.
Healthcare
Supports expanding the Affordable Care Act and creating a public option he calls “Medicare for All Who Want It,” preserving private insurance while widening access and lowering costs. Proposes increased ACA subsidies, automatic enrollment for eligible low-income people, caps on out‑of‑pocket Medicare costs, and measures to curb surprise billing and provider prices.
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Immigration & Border
Supports comprehensive immigration reform including a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants (including Dreamers and TPS holders), expansion of legal pathways and asylum processing, and an end to family separations while accepting some "reasonable" border security and enforcement measures. Advocates increased resources for immigration courts and humanitarian treatment of migrants rather than punitive mass-deportation approaches.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
Pete Buttigieg supports the Roe v. Wade framework and reproductive-choice protections, has said he would consider codifying abortion rights into law or a constitutional amendment, and opposes broad legal restrictions on abortion including late-term limits driven by lawmakers rather than patients and doctors.
Climate & Energy
Supports ambitious emissions reductions including a net‑zero target by midcentury, major federal investment in clean energy and electric vehicle infrastructure, carbon pricing (tax-and-dividend), and ending certain fossil‑fuel subsidies and new leases on public lands. Emphasizes transportation’s role in reducing emissions and resilience investments for climate impacts.
Public Safety & Guns
Supports universal background checks, federal red-flag (extreme risk protection) laws, a federal ban on assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines, and a nationwide gun-licensing system including safety training and renewals. Also supports closing loopholes (gun shows/online/’boyfriend’ loophole), waiting periods, and investments in community violence intervention programs.
News
Pete Buttigieg is drawing fresh attention in early 2028 Democratic primary polling, where he is near the top in New Hampshire and has led in some other recent surveys, though Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez now narrowly edges him in the latest New Hampshire poll. He says he is focused on current elections rather than a 2028 presidential run, even as speculation about his future continues. He has also been endorsing Democratic candidates in Virginia and speaking about issues like affordability, healthcare, and election rules.
Polls

Aggregation source: FiftyPlusOne
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Endorsements
- Fundraising






