Free Republic

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg is officially a candidate for the 2020 Democratic nomination. You wouldn’t think that a mayor of a small city would be in contention, but he’s at the top. His star has been rising since rumblings of his campaign moves were reported. He raised more money than better-known progressives, like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). He’s in the top five in terms of those filling their war chests. He’s apparently been well received in Iowa. So, with the 2020 Democratic clown car getting bigger, how do you thin the heard? Well, you attack and it seems the opposition...

Like so many others who run for president, Pete Buttigieg’s official announcement yesterday came as an anti-climax after having telegraphed the move for weeks if not months. “They call me Mayor Pete,” the Democrat told a home-town crowd, highlighting his “audacity” at running an outsider campaign for the nomination at his young age. See Also: Start your hot-take engines: Mueller report coming on Thursday — and so is Giuliani’s? The actual surprise came in another direction entirely: Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, officially announced his presidential bid Sunday afternoon, hoping to make history as the youngest-ever,...

A South Bend, Indiana police union on Monday criticized Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s (D) handling of a recent police shooting in the city, saying his focus is predicated “solely for his political gain.” Last week, Buttigieg was forced to temporarily leave his 2020 presidential campaign trail to hold what was a tense town hall with the South Bend police chief Scott Ruszkowski after an officer fatally shot Eric Logan, a 54-year-old African-American man who was allegedly breaking into vehicles with a knife. In a blistering letter shared to Facebook, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #36 stated Buttigeieg’s response to the...

Pete Buttigieg returned to South Bend on Saturday to attend events in memory of Eric Logan, an African American man shot dead by a white police officer in the small Indiana city. It will be the Democratic presidential candidate’s first visit to the city he runs as mayor since a contentious town hall event last weekend threw a national spotlight on the shooting, Buttigieg’s record in office and his relationship with black voters. After consulting with people close to Logan’s family, Buttigieg will not attend the funeral. He will instead participate in a peace walk and a community event including...

Black voters in South Bend, Ind., have vocally opposed Mayor Pete Buttigieg, blaming him for leaving the city to campaign for president amid the tense aftermath of a police shooting that claimed the life of a 54-year-old black man. The tensions broke out afresh at a town hall event on Sunday evening."We don't trust you!" a woman hollered as Buttigieg attempted to address the issue, The Los Angeles Times reported.Last Sunday, Sergeant Ryan O'Neill shot and killed 54-year-old Eric Jack Logan. Logan was allegedly breaking into cars with a knife in hand. O'Neill has been accused of racist behavior by...

Six shootings occurred the weekend of his town hall. In one instance, a witness reported that the shooter was aiming specifically at police. "To start with trying to heal, the mayor just needs to resign," activist and pastor Mario Sims told the Washington Free Beacon, adding that Buttigieg should demote Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski to cleanse the department of bad blood. Sims also added that he believes Buttigieg is racially "tone-deaf" and should consider retiring from politics until he has "spent some time evaluating this." "I understand political ambition, I understand that," Sims said. "But you're playing games with the...

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (AP) — A Marine sentenced to 20 years in military prison for cutting parachute suspension lines before a training jump will have to testify against another Marine charged in the case.Lance Cpl. Antoine D. Boykins was sentenced Thursday, a day after he pleaded guilty to nine counts of reckless endangerment, four counts of aggravated assault and one count of destruction of government property.Boykins, 21, admitted cutting suspension lines on 13 of the 22 parachutes that were to be used in the exercise Sept. 21. He said he knew someone could be killed or injured because reserve...