The Democratic Party has to change following the election of its new leader on Saturday because the status quo in the party is electing only Republicans, one of the candidates said Thursday.
Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Ind., said on CNN the Democratic National Committee is at a turning point. After years of losing seats in Congress, the Senate and in state capitals around the country, followed by losing the presidency in 2016, the party is in a state of disarray, Buttigieg said.
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35-year-old Indiana mayor @PeteButtigieg is vying to lead the Democratic Party https://t.co/5aevwsZ0FM— New Day (@NewDay) February 23, 2017
It’s time to look outside Washington for a new leader who understands the grassroots, he said.
“We need to tap into the energy that’s happening in the grassroots now,” Buttigieg said.
He added, “We’ve got a lot of great Democrats out there and it is extremely important that we get together as a party regardless of who wins on strategy.”
Buttigieg is considered a dark horse in the DNC race, but has snagged a major endorsement from former party leader and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. He’s a 35-year-old veteran who is making his first foray into national politics in the DNC race.
He said his local government experience is something needed in the DNC right now because he understands local organizers in Midwestern cities.
It may be different, but it’s something he feels is necessary.
“The status quo did not work,” he said. “It did not work internally pulling the party together and it didn’t work externally … because we got beat. [Trump] won.
“It’s clear that we need a different approach and it’s clear that if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.”
