South Bend mayor fills in for Biden during Democratic brunch at fair

Posted on August 16, 2018
During Thursday’s brunch for Illinois Democratic Party county chairmen, South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg filled in as speaker for former Vice President Joe Biden, who had laryngitis. (Dave Dahl/WJBC)

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – He wasn’t the first choice as a brunch speaker Thursday, but Illinois Democrats seemed to like Pete Buttigieg anyway. He’s the 36-year-old mayor of South Bend, Ind.

Three thousand tickets were sold, in anticipation of former vice president Joe Biden, who reportedly has laryngitis.

In addition to cracking one-liners like, Gov. Rauner took lemons and made a dumpster fire, Buttigieg shared a personal note.

“Like all of you, I would put my life on the line for my family. And, like some of you, I live with the knowledge that there are people in power today who would, if they could, deny my family the right legally even to exist for the simple reason that my spouse is a husband and not a wife. So, you see, this isn’t academic for me. It’s personal. It’s existential. It’s not that I don’t feel like going back; it’s that I literally can’t.”

Buttigieg and his husband were married two months ago. They have a dog, Truman, after the former president’s quote, “If you want a friend in politics, get a dog.”

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]. 

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