Buttigieg: U.S. Is "Under Attack From Homegrown White Nationalist Terrorism"

Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaking in Las Vegas, NV

Mayor Pete Buttigieg told attendees at a labor union forum in Las Vegas Saturday that the United States is "under attack" by white nationalists carrying out deadly mass shootings across the country, and those white nationalists have become emboldened by Donald Trump.

Buttigieg was speaking at a forum in Las Vegas sponsored by the public-sector labor union AFSCME.

News of the recent mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart broke during the event.

Eschewing his prepared introductory remarks, Buttigieg addressed the tragedy head-on.

“America is under attack from homegrown white nationalist terrorism,” Buttigieg said in his opening remarks. “White nationalism is evil. And it is inspiring people to commit murder, and it is being condoned at the highest levels of the American government, and that has to end.”

When asked his thoughts on Trump's position on white nationalists, Buttigieg said the president “at best condones and encourages white nationalism."

View this post on Instagram

America is under attack from homegrown white nationalist terrorism. That ideology is evil. It is being condoned at the highest levels of our government. And today it inspired a gunman to claim at least 20 lives in El Paso. Enough is enough. We have an obligation to act.

A post shared by Pete Buttigieg (@pete.buttigieg) on Aug 3, 2019 at 5:41pm PDT

Buttigieg also called for stricter gun control laws across the country.

“We are the only country in the world with more guns than people,” said the 37-year-old White House contender. “It has not made us safer. We can respect the Second Amendment (on gun rights), and not allow it to be a death sentence for thousands of Americans.”

Among several policies he shared that would help stem the tide of gun violence were:

• Implementing universal background checks for firearm purchases

• Banning the sale of high capacity magazines

• Allowing the Centers for Disease Control to research gun violence

• Passing “red flag” laws that remove firearms from at-risk people, such as those convicted of domestic violence


Buttigieg also said there should be stricter regulations for military-style firearms often used in mass shootings.

“Weapons of war have no place in American neighborhoods,” said the Afghanistan war veteran.

Buttigieg addressed the lack of leadership on gun violence by the president today.

"Will the President of the United States leave his golf resort, go back to Washington, address the nation, condemn—in no uncertain terms—white nationalism, and call for the Senate to convene tomorrow to enact at least the most basic gun safety reforms that most Americans want?"

Will the President of the United States leave his golf resort, go back to Washington, address the nation, condemn—in no uncertain terms—white nationalism, and call for the Senate to convene tomorrow to enact at least the most basic gun safety reforms that most Americans want? pic.twitter.com/GEVLkLuWei

— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) August 4, 2019

Quote Of The Day: Pete Buttigieg

Mayor Pete Buttigieg

Taking questions from voters in Ankeny, Iowa, Mayor Pete Buttigieg was asked how unemployment would play out during the presidential election:

"Yeah, the president’s going to say unemployment is low, & it is. Of course, under the Obama admin, we went from like 12 to 5, and then he sees it go from 5 to 4, and he’s like the rooster, thinks he made sun come up."

The mayor was also asked "Wine, or beer, or fireball?," which got some applause from the crowd.

Pausing for second, Buttituge said, "Well in six months we might be into fireball territory, but right now, just beer, just beer for now."

Podcast: Ricky Martin, Pete Buttigieg, Best Films Of 2010s, Lil Nas X

In this week's podcast:

• Mayor Pete Buttigieg did an interview with a country music radio show, but the radio network refused to air the interview. Link to Blair Garner's interview here.

• Pop star Ricky Martin has joined hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans in protests calling for the resignation of the island territory’s governor

• Organizers of the upcoming Straight Pride Parade got more cease and desist letters after illegally insinuating major corporations were sponsors

• Oscar-winning queer-themed film, Moonlight, was named the best film of the 2010 decade by Indiewire.

All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report.

Country Radio Host Interviews Mayor Pete, Bosses Say Chat Can't Be Aired

Country radio host Blair Garner interviews Mayor Pete Buttigieg (image via Twitter)

Blair Garner, whose syndicated country music radio show is heard in nearly 200 cities, was recently contacted by the presidential campaign of Mayor Pete Buttigieg requesting an interview.

Garner openly admits he was “stunned” by the request considering his radio show isn’t political, and most country music fans tend to be on the conservative end of the political spectrum.

But the veteran radio host also says he was “extremely flattered” by the approach.

“One of the few truly viable candidates in the race raised his hand and asked for a place at the table,” says Garner. “I was willing to give him that seat.”

Garner shares, via social media, that his only condition was that the Buttigieg campaign “value and appreciate our listeners, and never treat them as pawns.”

Have to give it to @PeteButtigieg ... he’s the only #Democratic candidate running for President who would come to #Nashville and sit down with #CountryRadio to try and reach the #CountryMusic audience ... awesome to see this kind of outreach! #PeteButtigieg #PeteForAmerica pic.twitter.com/HfKvUehhAF

— Kurt Bardella (@kurtbardella) July 17, 2019

You've got to give it to Mayor Pete - he's not leaving a single vote on the floor.

But after recording the 20 minute chat, Garner was told by his bosses at Cumulus Media he couldn’t share the interview on air.

“I was proud of it,” says the National Radio Hall of Famer. “But in the end, I was told I couldn’t air it.”

Cumulus issued a statement explaining their decision was based on the “large number of political candidates” currently running and the FCC’s Equal Time Rule, which requires media companies to provide equal airtime to all candidates.

Cumulus Nashville’s programming managers made the decision not to air Blair Garner’s pre-recorded interview with Mayor Pete Buttigieg because of the large number of political candidates currently in this race. The decision was made by local programming management based solely on concerns related to the application of the FCC’s Equal Time Rule. The effects of the FCC’s Equal Time Rule are widely understood and considered whenever these types of issues arise.

Garner says he would “GLADLY” welcome other serious candidates as a guest but “nobody else reached out.”

Garner did ask for, and received, permission to post the interview on his Soundcloud account.

You can listen to the chat between Blair Garner and Mayor Pete below.

As I was writing this post, I realized the third man in the photo below is Garner's husband, Eric.

View this post on Instagram

I'm not a political guy. My radio show isn't political, nor does it aspire to be. I'm just the host of a syndicated Country music program who loves his country - both the amazing land in which we live, and the outstanding music from today's Country artists. The phrase, "I love my Country" is one that I state proudly and without reservation. I mean it to my core. I was stunned when we were contacted by Mayor Pete's team requesting an interview. Absolutely stunned. Since Country music tends to lean in a conservative direction, I was surprised. But more than surprised, I was EXTREMELY flattered. One of the few truly viable candidates in the race raised his hand and asked for a place at the table. I was willing to give him that seat. I would have also given a seat to any other viable candidate, from both sides. The only condition? They must also value and appreciate our listeners, and never treat them as pawns. Nobody else reached out. I assume nobody else even thought to reach out. The interview is twenty minutes in total length. I was proud of it. But in the end, I was told that I couldn't air it. Again, I would have GLADLY welcomed any other viable candidates to be a guest, especially President Trump. To my thinking, the best way to a reasoned, thoughtful position on any topic, is to hear from both sides. Regardless, the interview was killed. I did, however, ask for permission to post the interview on my own personal SoundCloud account. I was given that blessing, and I am happy to share it with you there. (Link in Bio) #buttigieg #petebuttigieg #mayorpete #pete #peteforamerica #presidentpete #chastenbuttigieg #warren #democraticprimary #firstgent #biden #peteforprez #bootedgeedge #harris #election #beto #iowa #joe #sanders #bernie #runningforpresident #nextgeneration #policies #democracy #hope #youthvote #democrats #partywithpete #mayorpetebuttigieg

A post shared by blairgarner (@blairgarner) on Jul 19, 2019 at 12:30pm PDT

New Republic Apologizes For Pete Buttigieg Hit Piece

Mayor Pete Buttigieg

The New Republic's editor-in-chief, Win McCormack, issued an apology to Mayor Pete Buttigieg and the readers of NR for its recent hatchet job on Buttigieg penned by Dale Peck.

“I want to extend our sincerest apologies to Mayor Buttigieg, as well as to our readers for an article that was inappropriate and offensive,” McCormack wrote in the statement. “We have high standards at The New Republic, but sometimes we fall short. Yesterday we made a mistake, but we remain committed to honoring the tradition of high standards and journalistic integrity that have been the hallmark of The New Republic for more than 100 years.”

A statement from The New Republic’s editor in chief, Win McCormack: pic.twitter.com/yr07M0Ajdo

— The New Republic (@newrepublic) July 13, 2019

Keeping it classy, Buttigieg kept his comments on the subject brief telling the Associated Press, “I appreciated that [the] article was taken down. I don’t think it really reflects the New Republic that I know.”

Mayor Pete Buttigieg: "I Do Think We Should Be Realistic About What's Going To Work"

Mayor Pete Buttigieg

Mayor Pete Buttigieg, in an interview that will air on "The Axe Files" tonight at 7pm on CNN, shared his thoughts with David Axelrod about promising pie-in-the-sky programs being bandied about on the campaign trail.

"I do think that we should be realistic about what's going to work," said Buttigieg. "And just flipping a switch and saying we're instantly going to have everybody on Medicare just like that -- isn't realistic."

More from CNN:

"I think that when it comes to a lot of these policies that we're being pushed to do -- say that we can pay down the last penny of tuition for any student including the child of a billionaire. These are things that are questionable on their merits and of course also pretty far out ... from where Americans are."

Of the 20 candidates on the two debate stages during the first round of Democratic debates, just four raised their hands when asked who backed the elimination of private health insurance -- Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kamala Harris of California, along with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

"The best way to do that is a Medicare for all who want it. We take some flavor of Medicare, you make it available on the exchange as a public option. And you invite people to buy into it," he said at a CNN town hall in March.

From Mayor Pete's website:

For lower-income families, we must make public college truly debt-free. We can do this through a state-federal partnership that makes public tuition affordable for all and completely free at lower incomes — combined with a large increase in Pell Grants that provides for basic living expenses and keeps up with inflation.

Middle-income families at public colleges will pay zero tuition. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) are vital for this country and our communities and deserve to receive more dedicated support.

Additional policies:
• Confront student loan debt
• Provide more support for students entering public service
• Ensure the highest degree of transparency and accountability for higher education institutions
• Apply strict standards to for-profit higher education institutions

I agree with Mayor Pete. I think there are lots of people (perhaps those who get their health insurance through their employers) may be happy with what they have.

I would totally support a program where folks can buy into a version of Medicare or keep their existing insurance. It seems more realistic than wiping out all private healthcare insurance companies.

Maybe some day we get to a place where we don't have private companies, but I believe the path to that result will take incremental steps.

Bitter Queen Pens Ill-Written Hatchet Job On Mayor Pete Buttigieg

Mayor Pete Buttigieg

A hack writer (using the term loosely here) somehow got a tacky, ill-written hatchet job on Democratic presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg on the New Republic website.

I won't link to it because it was yanked down once the writer, Dale Peck, was presumably tackled and handcuffed to a radiator somewhere.

The author, who's clearly a bitter old queen, took Mayor Pete to task for coming out in his mid-30s and claims that disqualifies him from the presidency.

When contacted about the article, editor Chris Lehmann (who must have been at happy hour when the author hacked into NR's website) responded saying, "The New Republic recognizes that this post crossed a line, and while it was largely intended as satire, it was inappropriate and invasive."

Here's just a sample. Click to enlarge.

Trust and believe, this was not satire. Satire requires wit.

TNR's response to my request for comment: "The New Republic recognizes that this post crossed a line, and while it was largely intended as satire, it was inappropriate and invasive," Chris Lehmann says https://t.co/ExXYUNe1SU

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) July 12, 2019

What in the fuck is wrong with the person who wrote this, does the New Republic not have editors anymore? Mary Pete? Breitbart wouldn’t even run this. Not linking. pic.twitter.com/3M0ymKbKMH

— Tim Miller (@Timodc) July 12, 2019

Not clear in what sense the post was "satire". Defend the homphobic story or not but just between us kids, it's pretty clear that @newrepublic eidtors are in over their heads and don't really know what they're doing. https://t.co/Z3UPm4EVWl

— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) July 13, 2019

If TNR had written an article like this about one of the women running, it would be front page news and people would be outraged. What ANYONE does with their spouse in private is no one else's business to ponder.

— Michelle (@SimpleSoulTweet) July 13, 2019

Holy crap, that TNR piece about Buttigieg is... rambling, gross, and bizarre. I don’t understand the purpose of it?

— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) July 12, 2019

I think one response cld be, “Hey, we fucked up.” Another could be, “It was satire!” Combining the two translates as “I’m out at dinner and panicking and we really haven’t come up with an explanation yet.” https://t.co/u324NV2FX5

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) July 13, 2019

If something like that had been published about Kamala Harris this morning, the writer and editor would've been fired this afternoon.

— Michael David Smith (@MichaelDavSmith) July 13, 2019

What the hell is this drivel from @newrepublic? Sorry for the swears, but good god. https://t.co/hoLFiOfnHJ

— Kerry Eleveld (@kerryeleveld) July 12, 2019

I get satire and appreciate pithy, but this @newrepublic shock piece by Dale Peck on Pete Buttigieg where one gay man tears down another with (among other things) a "Mary Pete" moniker is just pathetic.

To add insult to injury, it's just terrible writing so I won't link to it. pic.twitter.com/VLAJDdllvt

— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) July 12, 2019

Podcast: Buttigieg's Big Bucks; Former Mr. Leather Europe Aids African Refugee; Church Steps Up For LGBTQ Teen Prom

In this week's podcast:

• Mayor Pete Buttigieg announces largest campaign donations of any Democratic candidate for the second quarter

• A former Mr. Leather Europe comes to the aid of an African lesbian refugee as she starts a new life in Manchester. To help Shadia, click here.

• A local church stepped up after haters shut down an LGBTQ teen prom

• A new study shows there's still a LOT of stigma to overcome regarding HIV

All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report



You can also listen to The Randy Report podcast (for free!):

• On Soundcloud here

• On iTunes here

• On Spotify here

• On iHeartRadio here

• On Stitcher here

For portability, its useful to know all of those outlets have apps you can install on your phone - for free!

Thanks for listening, folks!

Pete Buttigieg Campaign Expands After Huge 2nd Quarter Donations

Mayor Pete Buttigieg on CNN

Earlier this week, the presidential campaign for Mayor Pete Buttigieg announced an eye-popping $24 million in campaign donations.

According to Politico, those funds are now being utilized to expand the size and scope of the Pete For America campaign.

For months, the South Bend, Ind., mayor has run one of the more frugal 2020 campaigns, eschewing on-the-ground organizers in early caucus and primary states and instead focusing on fundraising, media appearances and the candidate’s travel. But Buttigieg is now rapidly expanding his campaign’s footprint to try and build on his gains in the first half of the year.

In Iowa, Buttigieg’s campaign added 30 organizers at the end of June, filling out what had previously been a four-person skeleton crew. A dozen staffers are now on board in New Hampshire. And by the end of the summer, there will be many more: The campaign plans to swell its staff to 300 people by Labor Day, according to multiple people briefed on its plans.

“As we go into the summer toward the fall, we really need to make sure we’ve got the right kind of ground game. And part of that is how we use my time, and part of that is in between [events] making sure we’ve got folks day in and day out on the ground,” Buttigieg said during a recent campaign stop in Sioux City, Iowa. “So you’ll see the numbers of organizers and volunteers that we have really growing.”

Mayor Pete Claps Back At Racist Troll At Campaign Event

Mayor Pete Buttigieg (L) shuts down racist troll at campaign event

Speaking to voters in Iowa during an Independence Day event, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg clapped back at a man for making a racially-charged comment about black Americans.

Due to the recent police shooting of an African American man in his hometown, Mayor Pete has encountered questions and scrutiny on matters related to race on the campaign trail.

“Mayor Pete, there has been some controversy in South Bend between the police and the black community, and I have a solution for you, and I’d like you to make a comment on my proposal,” said a man who later identified himself as Dave Begley. "Just tell the black people of South Bend to stop committing crime and doing drugs.”

After a pause in the crowd, Begley was roundly booed as Buttigieg shook his head before responding, “Sir, I think racism is not going to help us get out of this drama.”

“No, no, just stop committing crimes,” insisted Begley. “It has nothing to do with race.”

p.s. when the subject of your suggestion is "black people," the issue has intrinsically turned to race.

“The fact that a black person is four times as likely as a white person to be incarcerated as a white person for the exact same crime is evidence of systemic racism,” Buttigieg told Begley, as the crowd applauded. “It is evidence of systemic racism."

"And, with all due respect sir, racism makes it harder for good police officers to do their job, too," added the Democratic presidential contender. "It is a smear on law enforcement.”

As chants of "USA, USA" began, Mayor Pete stared the man down before continuing, "Sir, when black people and white people are treated the same by the criminal justice system, it will be easier for white people and black people to live in this country."

"And it will be easier for law enforcement to do their job," he added. "But racism has no place in American politics, or in American law enforcement."

Politico reports that Begley spent the rest of the event looking at his phone.

Begley later told reporters he is not a member of the Carroll County Democratic Party, but he attended the event as a writer for a conservative blog, Power Line. According to the website, he is a practicing attorney in Omaha, Nebraska. He has posted several 'reports' following Democratic presidential candidates out on the campaign trail.

Saying he planned to file a "full report on this," Begley insisted that he didn't believe his comment was racist and said he "resented" Buttigieg's response.

Begley told reporters after the question-and-answer session said he resented Buttigieg’s response. Begley said he didn’t think his comment was racist.

“I just urged him, in order to resolve the racial controversy in South Bend, to urge the blacks in South Bend to obey the law so they’re not going to have confrontations with the police," said Begley. "And he dismissed me as a racist, which I resented, and he knows he’s wrong.”

Watch the confrontation below.

Oscar-Winning Producer Working On Pete Buttigieg Documentary

Mayor Pete Buttigieg

A film production company is currently shooting a documentary that will chronicle the presidential campaign of openly gay Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana.

The production company, Story Syndicate, was founded by veteran filmmakers Dan Cogan (Oscar winner for Icarus) and Liz Garbus (Oscar-nominated for What Happened, Miss Simone?).

According to Axios, the independently funded film will document Mayor Pete’s “rise to national attention.”

Film crews have been seen filming at Buttigieg campaign events as well as at last week’s first Democratic presidential debates in Miami.

Buttigieg isn’t the first millennial politician to get the indie film treatment, though.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was the focus of the campaign trail doc Knock Down the House, and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke was the subject of HBO’s Running with Beto.

Documentaries have been useful tools for younger politicians to be a part of creating their own narrative. The Ocasio-Cortez and O’Rourke projects helped establish the candidates with younger voters as the films landed at platforms that appeal to those demographics.

The Buttigieg project hasn’t been picked up by a distributor or streaming service as of yet, according to Axios, as the film’s future is “contingent on the outcome of Buttigieg’s campaign.”

That said, it’s easy to imagine the narrative taking several directions.

As the first openly gay presidential candidate to be a serious contender, that story alone could warrant documenting.

If he were to clinch the nomination, he’d be the youngest Democratic presidential nominee in history.

Or, there’s been much talk of him being considered as a running mate for other Democratic candidates. Lots of chatter about a Kamala Harris/Pete Buttigieg ticket going on...
All of these could make for a compelling documentary.

But, there’s a long road ahead in this election cycle, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

(source: Axios)

Mayor Pete To Lil Nas X: "Welcome To The Family"

Mayor Pete Buttigieg (L), Lil Nas X (R)

Democratic White House contender Pete Buttigieg gave Lil Nas X props for “standing in his truth” after the country-rap artist came out on the last day of Pride month.

“@LilNasX has gone from viral sensation to groundbreaking musician. As a fan, I’m thrilled and inspired to see him standing in his truth as a member of the LGBTQ community. Welcome to the family,” tweeted Mayor Pete.

.@LilNasX has gone from viral sensation to groundbreaking musician. As a fan, I’m thrilled and inspired to see him standing in his truth as a member of the LGBTQ community. Welcome to the family! #pride https://t.co/H81iXxCII6

— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) July 3, 2019

It's been a great week for the 20-year-old as his hit, "Old Town Road," became only the 12th song in the history of Billboard’s Hot 100 to stay at number one for 13 weeks or longer.

And more celebs praised the artist on social media as well:

SO proud of my baby brother @lilnasx 🌈❤️🌈❤️ In your corner forever my friend! pic.twitter.com/m39wYDZFPo

— Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) July 2, 2019

Fuck! Coming OUT proud when you're at the Top of the rap Game!!! Do you guys realize how monumental this is?!?! It's a whole new world now when being gay is an asset! unheard of. So proud of @LilNasX & all #LGBTQA Heroes that changed the world for everyone ❤️🏳️‍🌈 #pride @glaad https://t.co/4065PxqHUd

— Daniel Newmaη (@DanielNewman) July 1, 2019

we also stan an openly gay black kid going diamond with his first single. the culture loves it. truly. @LilNasX

— MNEK (@MNEK) July 1, 2019

There were some haters as well, it seems, but Lil Nas X had no problem handling the trolls on social media.

next nigga to say something offensive to me getting kissed

— nope (@LilNasX) July 2, 2019

View this post on Instagram

say one more home of phobic thing to me

A post shared by Lil Nas X (@lilnasx) on Jul 2, 2019 at 6:18am PDT

Poll: Harris & Warren Surge After 1st Democratic Debates

The results of a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS shows Democratic presidential contenders Sens. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) have each surged nearly ten points since the first debates last week.

Harris saw the biggest increase from 8 percent support to 17 percent, and Warren jumped 8 points from 7 percent to 15 percent.

Former Vice President Joe Biden dropped a precipitous ten points from 32 percent support to 22 percent.

And Mayor Pete Buttigieg, despite getting strong response for his debate performance, dropped one percent.

Asked 'who did the best job in the debates," the hands-down favorite was Harris with 41 percent saying she won.

Buttigieg Campaign Announces Huge $24 Million In 2nd Quarter Donations

The New York Times reports Mayor Pete Buttigieg received $24.8 million in campaign donations over the past three months.

According to the Times, that figure is triple Mayor Pete's 1st quarter reporting, and will be one of the largest disclosed by the current Democratic presidential contenders.

Mr. Buttigieg’s haul, from more than 294,000 donors, is the clearest indicator yet of how a candidate who only months ago was little known among voters has become a formidable contender in the race for the Democratic nomination.

His strong fund-raising gives him the financial resources to build a robust campaign operation and compete with rivals who entered the race as far better-known figures, such as former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who is also expected to report a big fund-raising total for the quarter.

Mr. Buttigieg had more than 230,000 new donors in the quarter, bringing his total number of donors during his presidential bid to more than 400,000, his campaign said. The average contribution over the course of his campaign has been $47.42, according to his team.

Campaign press secretary Chris Meagher told CNN that Mayor Pete heads into the 3rd quarter of 2019 with $22.6 million in cash.

All of the candidates are required to report their fund-raising numbers to the Federal Election Commission by July 15.

Thank you to the over 400,000 of you who have invested in this campaign, and who helped us raise over $24,800,000 this quarter alone. You inspire us every step of the way, and we're just getting started. Text SHOWUP to 25859 to keep the momentum going! pic.twitter.com/g1SIlgt4Eo

— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) July 1, 2019

Wow. Quite a Q2 fundraising haul for @PeteButtigieg. Waiting for others to turn over their cards but this is an eye-popping number. https://t.co/6RpEQDmbop

— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) July 1, 2019

.@PeteButtigieg will be in the top three in the most cash on hand for presidential campaigns, including the incumbent President.

His average donation is $47.

This reminds me of my old boss’s Barack Obama’s June 2007 fundraising numbers.

This man is for real.

— Christopher J. Hale (@chrisjollyhale) July 1, 2019

In related news, LGBTQ Victory Fund - a political action committee that works to elect LGBTQ politicians to office - endorsed Mayor Pete Buttigieg this weekend. The nod is the first presidential endorsement in the organization's history.

BREAKING: Tonight, we are officially endorsing Mayor @PeteButtigieg’s campaign for President of the United States. Mayor Pete has the experience, record of service, and vision that is required to not only lead this nation – but also to defeat Donald Trump at the ballot box. https://t.co/Dmu2qpHVmT

— Victory Fund (@VictoryFund) June 28, 2019

I'm honored to have your support. My candidacy is possible only because of the hard work and sacrifice of LGBTQ activists who stood up for change 50 years ago today, and the leaders who continue that fight for equality at organizations like @VictoryFund. #Stonewall50 https://t.co/rXivvf0Alh

— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) June 29, 2019

Poll: Large Majority Of LGBTQ Americans Say Sex Work Should Be Legal

Whitman Insight Strategies and BuzzFeed News surveyed LGBTQ Americans to get their thoughts on a range of issues.

Just some of the results:

• 87% believe Mayor Pete Buttigieg will face anti-gay bias in his run for the White House.

• 62% say they would vote for Buttigieg in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup with Donald Trump, while former Vice President Joe Biden would garner 68% support in a race with Trump; Sen. Bernie Sanders got the highest support with 72% saying they would give him their vote if he faced Trump in the general election.

• 83% say sex work between consenting adults should be legal.

• 55% agreed that the Democratic nominee must be a woman, person of color, or identify as LGBTQ versus 45% who disagreed.

• 60% feel it's not acceptable to out a closeted politician who supports anti-LGBTQ policies, 40% agree with me that it's ok.

Click over to Buzzfeed for more details from the poll.

Recapping Democratic Debate Night 2

Sen.Kamala Harris (L), Mayor Pete Buttigieg (R)

By most political experts' accounts, the second night of Democratic debates was dominated by a stellar performance by California Sen. Kamala Harris.

Consensus also agrees Mayor Pete Buttigieg scored well as the first openly gay presidential candidate to take to the debate stage.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the current front-runner in polling, found himself playing defense a surprising amount of time given that this is the first Democratic debate.

Check out these highlights for both via Twitter:

Senator Kamala Harris:

"Hey guys, you know what? America does not want to witness a food fight. They wanna know how we're going to put food on their tables."

POINTS for the adult in the room. #DemDebate2 pic.twitter.com/FnufZ2t1IH

— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) June 28, 2019

‘There was a little girl in California who was part of the 2nd class to integrate her public schools & she was bused to school every day. And that little girl was me.’@KamalaHarris called out @JoeBiden for defending segregationists & his past opposition to busing #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/ZYAtAfP36B

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 28, 2019

Beautiful response from @PeteButtigieg on the hypocritical way the GOP shields itself in the cloak of Christianity while condoning human atrocities. #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/NkIgpZuMVg

— Zack Ford (@ZackFord) June 28, 2019

"I couldn't get it done." @PeteButtigieg displays great humility as he explains the way he wishes he could end police-involved violence against black people. #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/QWX5QmIUb9

— Zack Ford (@ZackFord) June 28, 2019

FiveThirtyEight teamed with Morning Consult to determine who 'won' the debates:

Among all 20 candidates, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Julián Castro earned the highest scores for their debate performances relative to their favorability rating before they took the stage, according to the voters in our poll.

Bernie Sanders and Cory Booker also rated well, but their scores were more in line with their pre-debate favorability.

Meanwhile, voters didn’t exactly think Beto O’Rourke did badly on Night 1, but his grades were underwhelming given his popularity.

A CNN focus group agreed with the pundits:

Mayor Pete: Being Gay Is "Not The Only Thing That Defines Me"

Mayor Pete Buttigieg (screen capture)

In a chat with the Des Moines Register, Mayor Pete Buttigieg shared that, while he's not shied away from being open about being gay and his marriage, "it's not the only thing that defines" him."

"I am proud of who I am," Buttigieg told the Des Moines Register. "I’m certainly very proud of my marriage and my husband. We don’t shy away from that. It’s also not the only thing that defines me."

“I think some people have an image of what a gay person or an LGBTQ activist is supposed to look like. And I think if you’ve met one gay person, you’ve met one gay person,” he said. “We have different styles and different approaches. But what I try to do is just be who I am … I don’t know who else to be."

Mayor Pete also addressed the topic of “healthy identity” politics in which “each identity [can] connect with every other one.”

And he drew a contrast between himself and how the current occupant of the Oval Office handles those who are 'different' saying, “This is a moment where anybody who can be marked down as different is in some way vulnerable because of the way this administration works.”

News Round-Up: June 17, 2019

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk Gustavo Naspolini almost looks like he's in a Disney fairytale in this photo from Italy. #MyPrinceMyPrince!

• A thread on Reddit found gay men sharing that 'ah-ha!' moment when they realized they were gay.

• A new Gallup poll shows 53 percent of Americans believe we need the Equality Act passed in order to ensure LGBTQ people aren't discriminated against. Forty-six percent said we don't need such laws. Guess which 46 percent?

• Check out this first look at the upcoming Steven Spielberg's remake of West Side Story.

Click image to enlarge

• The State Department has announced that it is ending all aid to Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador until the countries take “concrete actions to reduce the number of illegal migrants coming to the U.S. border.”

• Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who raised over $7 million in April for his presidential campaign, told Axios on HBO that we've most probably already had a gay president, we just don't know who.

• The fabulous Robyn drops her latest music video, "Ever Again," set in a landscape she describes as "a dreamy place, somewhere undefined, somewhere in my consciousness."

The new track celebrates the power of sensuality, human touch and self care.

Over two decades, the "Dancing on My Own" singer has wracked up 5 Grammy nominations, 4 Top Ten singles in the UK and literally hundreds of millions of streams.

'Meet The Press' Host Presses Mayor Pete On Winning The Black Vote

Mayor Pete Buttigieg on 'Meet The Press'

During an appearance on NBC’s Meet The Press, host Chuck Todd repeatedly quizzed Democratic presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, on his relationship with African-American voters and whether being openly gay could be an obstacle in winning their votes.

Reading from an interview with Reverend Rodric Reid of the Uplift Church in Indianapolis, Todd recounted Reid’s thoughts on Buttigieg’s marriage to his husband, Chasten.

“‘I guarantee it’s going to be an obstacle for the candidate from South Bend,” read the quote from Reid. “That is really still a touchy subject, specifically and especially in the African American church.”

“Now, I think it could be overcome, because we are gradually getting to a point of, and I don’t want to say ‘accept,’ but we are getting to a point of realizing this is the culture that we are going to have to begin to live with and adapt to it,” added Reid.

Todd then turned to the Mayor and asked how his outreach efforts to the Black community are going.

“They’re going well,” said the 37-year-old mayor. “And we are working very hard to engage people across the party, but especially black voters, who expect you to demonstrate, especially when you’re new on the scene, what your values are and how you’re going to promote policies that lift them up.”

Buttigieg then pivoted to Donald Trump adding, “I also think we have a moment on our hands when we can do the exact opposite of what the president has done.”

“The president has used identity as a wedge, used race as a wedge to divide people who have common interests,” the young mayor explained.

Instead of dividing people, Buttigieg suggested recognizing our “distinctive identities,” whether the Black or LGBTQ community, could help to “build bridges, to reach out to people different from us, knowing that anybody who has been on the short end of an equation of exclusion has a way to sympathize with people who’ve had different experiences with exclusion in this country.”

“And if we build a solidarity around that, then people who have, for whatever reason, felt a lack of belonging or felt exclusion or felt discrimination in this country, even though those patterns of discrimination are very, very different, when all of us come together, we win, and we are all better off,” he added.

'Meet The Press" host Chuck Todd and Mayor Pete Buttigieg

Todd wasn’t done with the subject, though.

The NBC host told Buttigieg he’d spoken to African-American congressmen who like what they’ve heard from the mayor and could see themselves supporting his campaign, but are concerned some of their more socially conservative constituents may have issues with his sexuality.

Todd wondered what could Buttigieg do to win over those voters?

Noting that he won his second term as mayor in a 80 percent landslide as an out candidate, Mayor Pete answered, “I’d invite them to look at what happened in South Bend.”

He continued saying he was confident “that American voters, especially Democratic voters, will not discriminate when the opportunity comes up to choose the right leader for the future.”

It is worth noting that a recent Post and Courier/Change Research Poll of likely Democratic primary voters in South Carolina, which holds the third presidential primary in the country and is the first real gauge of African-American voters mood, shows Buttigieg has recently surged into third place with 11% behind former Vice President Joe Biden (37%) and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (17%).

So it would appear that Mayor Pete’s outreach to the Black community is showing positive results.

You can watch Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s full interview on NBC’s Meet the Press below. The discussion on Buttigieg and the Black vote happens at the 12:57 mark.

Warren & Buttigieg Surge in New South Carolina Poll

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (L), former VP Joe Biden (C), Mayor Pete Buttigieg (R)

A new Post and Courier/Change Research Poll of likely Democratic primary voters released Sunday shows former Vice President Joe Biden with a commanding 20 point lead in South Carolina over his competitors, but Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Elizabeth Warren seem to be surging.

Biden's support stands at 37% of likely Palmetto state voters, while Warren snatched up the number two slot with 17 percent. Mayor Pete is in the bronze position with 11 percent.

Sens. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) tied at 9 percent.

The South Carolina primary, which follows the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, is the first real show of where Black voters are leaning.

While Sanders had some struggle with South Carolina in 2016, some pundits say Buttigieg could have a similar issue connecting with African-American voters. But it appears his team has heard those issues and is working to address his outreach to that voting block.

New @postandcourier poll of South Carolina: 2020 Democrats

Biden 37%
Warren 17%
Buttigieg 11%
Harris 9%
Sanders 9%
Booker 5%
O’Rourke 4%
Yang 3%
de Blasio 1%
Gabbard 1%
Gillibrand 1%
Klobuchar 1%
Williamson 1%

margin of error: +/- 3.2%https://t.co/H00JmTuYLT

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) June 16, 2019