Buttigieg gambles on a different path for 2028

Pete Buttigieg has been able to campaign for Democrats across the country more than many of his potential 2028 rivals this past year.

One reason: He doesn't have a job.

That's by choice.

Buttigieg said no when top Democrats urged him to run for governor or the U.S.

Senate in Michigan this year.

Why it matters: That decision is a gamble for Buttigieg's presidential ambitions.

He's been able to build a national network over the last two years but hasn't added to his relatively thin resume as a former mayor of South Bend, Ind., and Joe Biden's transportation secretary.

Buttigieg, 44, became a national political figure without following the typical path.

He ran for president in 2020 as a small-town mayor and won the Iowa caucus by offering an optimistic vision and impressing voters with his communication skills — including in hostile environments.

Driving the news: In early 2025, Democratic lawmakers and strategists including New York Sen.

Chuck Schumer and former Michigan Sen.

Debbie Stabenow urged Buttigieg — who had moved to Michigan — to run for office in his new state.

Winning such an office, they argued, would help Buttigieg build his resume for a future White House run and give him a chance to distance himself from the unpopular Biden administration.

Buttigieg passed, citing both a desire to stay home more with his husband and young twins, and figuring that he could still get his message out without being in the Senate.