Buttigieg Declines to Disavow Socialism, Identifies as 'Buttigieg Democrat'

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has drawn criticism for his responses to questions about the growing influence of socialism within the Democratic Party. During an appearance on "America Reports," Buttigieg sidestepped direct engagement with criticisms of policies advocated by some members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), such as abolishing the Senate or ending deportations. Instead, he focused on criticizing former President Donald Trump's foreign policy and economic record.

"Look, there's always going to be some people in my party who go too far for me, people I disagree with," Buttigieg stated. "If you pick the five or 10 or 15 furthest-left people in our party, they're going to, by definition, disagree with a lot of others. But there's so much that we do, in fact, agree on."

When pressed on his political identity, Buttigieg declined to fit traditional party labels, stating, "I'm a Pete Buttigieg Democrat. I think I'm a common-sense Democrat, but of course everybody thinks that their ideas are common sense to them."

Former Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, appearing on the same program, argued that Buttigieg was avoiding a confrontation with the socialist wing of his party. Priebus characterized mainstream Democrats as aligning with individuals "far outside the mainstream" and suggested this was a significant question for Buttigieg's political positioning.

Priebus's remarks come in the wake of several Democratic socialist candidates winning primary elections in New York and Colorado. A DSA-backed candidate secured an upset victory in Colorado, and in New York, several candidates supported by the city's Democratic socialist mayor also won their primaries.

Despite the discussions surrounding his political alignment, Buttigieg asserted that he is not currently running for president. "I'm not running for anything," he said. "I'm helping people who are because this is a very important election where people are seeing that their everyday lives — from the price of gas to healthcare, is on the line."