Picture this: It's 1982 in South Bend, Indiana. The Rubik's Cube is all the rage, E.T. is phoning home in theaters, and little Pete makes his grand entrance into the world. Born to Joseph and Jennifer Anne Buttigieg, Pete's destiny as a policy wonk and word-enthusiast was practically written in the stars - his dad was a Maltese immigrant and a professor of literature at Notre Dame. Talk about growing up in a house where dinner conversations probably included debates about Proust!
Fast forward to Pete's high school years, and we've got ourselves a regular wunderkind. He's not just acing his classes; he's winning essay contests about - get this - political courage. Foreshadowing, anyone? In 2000, he even nabbed first prize in the JFK Profiles in Courage Essay Contest. His topic? None other than his future colleague in the presidential race, Bernie Sanders. Oh, the irony!
But wait, there's more! Pete's not content with just being a brainiac; he's got to go and become a linguistic gymnast too. The guy speaks eight languages. EIGHT. English, Spanish, Italian, Maltese, Arabic, Dari, French, and Norwegian. He learned Norwegian just to read more books by an author he liked. If that's not the nerdiest flex ever, I don't know what is.
After high school, Pete jets off to Harvard (because of course he does) where he majors in history and literature. But he's not just hitting the books; he's also hitting the campaign trail as president of the Harvard Institute of Politics' Student Advisory Committee. Seems like someone had their eyes on a certain oval-shaped office even then!
Post-Harvard, Pete snags a Rhodes Scholarship and heads off to Oxford. He studies Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, probably while sipping tea and pondering the meaning of life in a British accent. After Oxford, he works as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, because apparently, being a polyglot policy prodigy wasn't enough of a challenge.
Now, here's where things get interesting. In 2009, Pete decides to join the U.S. Navy Reserve. Why? Because clearly, his resume wasn't impressive enough already. He serves as an intelligence officer and even deploys to Afghanistan in 2014 for a seven-month stint. Talk about a change of scenery from the halls of Harvard!
But the real plot twist comes in 2011 when Pete runs for mayor of South Bend, Indiana. And wins. At 29. He becomes the youngest mayor of a U.S. city with at least 100,000 residents. Not too shabby for a guy who's not even old enough to run for president yet!
As mayor, Pete doesn't just sit on his laurels. Oh no, he's out there revitalizing the downtown, launching a 1000 Houses in 1000 Days initiative to repair or demolish blighted properties, and even winning re-election with 80% of the vote in 2015. The people of South Bend are clearly picking up what Mayor Pete is putting down.
But Pete's not done making history. In 2019, he throws his hat into the presidential ring, becoming the first openly gay candidate to seek the Democratic Party's nomination. And let's not forget, he's also the first millennial to run for president. Avocado toast for everyone!
Throughout his campaign, Pete becomes known for his articulate speeches, his ability to explain complex policies in simple terms, and his knack for languages. He even busts out his Norwegian on the campaign trail. Because nothing says "presidential material" like conjugating verbs in a Scandinavian language, right?
While Pete ultimately suspends his campaign in March 2020, he makes quite the splash. He goes from being the mayor of a mid-sized Midwestern city to a household name. Not too shabby for a guy who was still paying off his student loans when he announced his run!
But the story doesn't end there. In 2021, Pete takes on a new challenge as the U.S. Secretary of Transportation under President Biden. From potholes in South Bend to the nation's infrastructure - talk about a promotion!
Throughout it all, Pete's been supported by his husband, Chasten, a teacher he met on a dating app. They got married in 2018 and became parents to twins in 2021. Because apparently, Pete needed to add "juggling newborns while running a federal department" to his list of accomplishments.
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