#PickPete in Detroit
South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, or 'the most interesting mayor you've never heard of,' is running to be Chair of the Democratic Party. He and a (large) crew of volunteers organized at the DNC's Detroit Future Forum to convey the campaign's "values first, locally focused" message.
I made the trip to support Pete's candidacy because he is a hard-working, compassionate leader who caused us to believe in South Bend again. Our city is growing and I believe that seasons of growth are followed by seasons of contribution. It is time for us to contribute our Rust Belt values and stories to a country in desperate need of hope.
Volunteers arrived early Saturday morning and quickly got to work outfitted in #PickPete t-shirts, buttons, stickers and signs. Most of the volunteers were from South Bend, so they could offer first-hand knowledge of Pete's work to forum attendees.
In an interview with Danielle Kennedy of WSBT, Willow Wetherall explained that "the job is to engage with people who would cast their ballot for Pete, to introduce them to Mayor Pete, let them know where he stands ... and be an extension of his campaign."
“What motivated me to get up at 4:30AM, get on the bus and come to Detroit is the job that Pete has done for South Bend.”
As more states enact strict voter ID laws, organizing to empower voters and increase election day turnout is a key function of the DNC. Part of Pete's volunteer team took this issue head on by spending the afternoon registering voters at downtown Detroit's Rosa Parks Transit Center. Despite the cold air and fast-pace environment the team helped multiple people fill out voter registration forms.
“The wild card is Pete Buttigieg ... he turns out to be a really good organizer.”
“The solutions we need won’t start in Washington.”
“This is the season for Happy Warriors.”
