Buttigieg Returns to Iowa as Democrats Search for Direction
Pete Buttigieg is coming back to Iowa. The former Transportation secretary, who has been working to position himself as the Democratic Party's leading voice against President Donald Trump, will headline the Liberty and Justice Celebration dinner in the state on Friday.
The appearance marks Buttigieg's latest move in a broader strategy to build national visibility ahead of the midterms and, potentially, the 2028 presidential cycle. An Emerson College poll released last week showed Buttigieg leading a hypothetical Democratic presidential field, surpassing California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Untethered and On the Move
Unlike several potential 2028 contenders including Newsom, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Buttigieg holds no elected office. That freedom has allowed him to travel to more than a dozen states in recent weeks, including Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
He has also ventured into reliably red territory. In Montana, Buttigieg held a town hall on a ballot measure that would ban corporate money in state politics. He later traveled to North Carolina to campaign for Ken McCool, a state house candidate running in a tough district.