Join Democrats Abroad as we talk with Mayor Pete Buttigieg about his Presidential campaign and hear from him about issues important to Americans abroad. 

When: September 19, 2019 at 11:15am Eastern Time

Where: Zoom call (RSVP below for the link)
Note: this is an online call, so you will need an internet connection in order to attend.

Note from Democrats Abroad: We have invited every Democratic Presidential candidate to speak to our members in individual online calls. We are looking forward to discussing issues that matter to Americans abroad during these calls and hope you will join us as we get to know our candidates.  

Campaign statement: Pete is running for president because our country is running out of time.

Currently in his eighth and final year as Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete was first elected mayor in 2011 at only 29 years old and re-elected in 2015 with 80 percent of the vote. Under his leadership, South Bend has reimagined its role in the global economy, spurring job growth and major investment in advanced industries such as data and technology. At the same time, Pete emphasized building a South Bend community where every resident—regardless of race, religion, gender, or orientation—could feel safe and included. Pete served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve and took an unpaid seven-month leave during his mayoral term to deploy to Afghanistan. For his counterterrorism work, he earned the Joint Service Commendation Medal.

Pete belongs to the generation that came of age with school shootings, the generation that provided the majority of the troops in the conflicts after 9/11, the generation that is on the business end of climate change, and the generation that—unless we take action—stands to be the first to be worse off economically than their parents. By 2030, the average house in this country will cost half a million dollars, and a woman's right to choose may not even exist. We are not going to be able to meet this moment by recycling the same arguments, policies, and politicians that have dominated Washington for Pete’s entire lifetime.

Pete is laying out a vision, values, and policies to ensure that America’s future is better than its past. We need to secure a future in which every American has the freedom to live a life of their choosing; where our republic grows more and not less democratic; where racial justice is a reality and not a dream; where we’ve put an end to endless war; where we’ve summoned the national will to meet the challenge of climate change; where everyone has the health care they need; and where everyone has the chance to find purpose and belonging in our economy and our country. Our country needs a fresh start, and Pete stands for the better America that we know we can be. It’s time for a new generation of American leadership.

A Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and a graduate of Harvard University, Pete lives with his husband Chasten in the same South Bend neighborhood where he grew up, with their two rescue dogs, Truman and Buddy.

The Youth Caucus of Democrats Abroad is committed to generating awareness of the concerns of young Americans and the challenges they face for the purpose of informing party policy-making and improving party outreach and organizing. The Youth Caucus will provide a platform for young Democrats abroad - those who are and those who seek to become politically active - to engage in and lead on issues and campaigns important to them.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The Youth Caucus will be “youth-led” but open to those of all ages who support these central aims.

The Youth Caucus will/proposes to:

• Build political engagement by young Americans Democrats abroad. Initiatives will make young Americans abroad aware of:  voter registration and voting from abroad; issue education, advocacy and activism, especially youth-led and youth-related;  candidates and campaigns, especially those of young Democrats;  US political and election organizing from abroad; and overseas and domestic youth networks, contacts and resources.
• Sponsor issue-focused Working Groups: The Caucus will engage young Democrats abroad in issues advocacy by inviting them to join teams studying particular issues (eg Environmental Sustainability Working Group) and developing and coordinating youth-led advocacy activities and campaigns.
• Establish web-based communication channels for on-going youth outreach: A Youth Caucus Blog on the Democrats Abroad Youth Caucus webpage will provide continuous access to the work of the Youth Caucus and facilitate participation by members globally.
• Work online. Membership will not be constrained by physical location. All general meetings, campaigns, fundraisers etc. will be conducted online via Skype, Social Media, Email, and Online Markets.
• Encourage caucus members to organize live local events and gatherings for political education and outreach, issues advocacy or socializing.
• Be youth-led, with a leadership team made up of volunteers from around the world aged between 18 and 35.
• Engage with US-based Young Democrats or College Democrats groups to share information, advice, intelligence and ideas, build networks and to cross-promote each other.