Pete Buttigieg will return donations he accepted from lobbyists and will not accept them in the future, the 2020 presidential hopeful’s campaign manager said Friday.
In an email to supporters, Mike Schmuhl said 39 registered lobbyists have donated $30,250 to the campaign.
“Mayor Pete will not be influenced by special-interest money, and we understand that making this promise is an important part of that commitment,” Schmuhl wrote.
“Standing up for our collective values not only includes saying we believe that campaigns should not take money from lobbyists; it also means being aware of the loopholes that still allow special interests to impact the campaign,” he said.
That means the candidate will not accept money directly from registered federal lobbyists, allow registered lobbyists to serve as bundlers for the campaign, or take money from corporate PACs or donations from the fossil fuel industry, Schmuhl said.
Other 2020 Democratic contenders have also pledged to eschew lobbyist cash, including former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, California Sen. Kamala Harris, and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. But Federal Election Commission filings showed all three received donations from lobbyists.
