Open collar, no oxfords. And flanked at four corners by security detail. Now a stay-at-home dad. Earlier U.S. transportation secretary; mayor of South Bend, Indiana; and a 2020 presidential candidate, although he didn’t survive the primaries.
Theme on people’ s minds: Healthcare
LACROSSE, Wis. — A leading figure in national Democratic politics, Pete Buttigieg, called for improving healthcare for Americans — not the drastic cuts advocated by President Trump. About 1,000 people crammed the lower ballroom of the La Crosse Center, where Buttigieg led a townhall forum. It was mostly a listening session. The name of Derrick Van Orden, the Republican in Congress from western Wisconsin, was narily invoked. Nor was he present. But, political pundits have noted: With Buttigieg’s pending high-profile LaCrosse visit, Van Orden recognized his record on healthcare would be in heightened public view, ]he switched gears. Two weeks ago he voted with Democrats to extend popular Obamacare health insurance subsidies three years , this in hopes to blunt a vulnerability in his 2026 re-election campaign. At the LaCrosse townhall was Rebecca Cooke, a Democrat who lost 51% to 48% Van Ordern in 2024 and who is running against him again reiterated her healthcare concerns:
“Our healthcare system is broken. I’ve already seen two major hospitals close. With the passage of the reconciliation bill, we’re likely to lose more in this region. Rural hospitals already struggled to stay open because of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates, and now that burden will double.”
Introducing himself at the townhall, Buttigieg spoke broadly on issues:
“Things are not going well in the United States of America. Socially, we are at each other’s throats. Economically, we are in such a different place from what the American promise represents. And then there’s the matter of our politics: Our government, which is so profoundly broken and has been for a long time.”
Buttigieg. These days frequently on the national Democratic speaking circuit.
Verbatim
Buttigieg: His advice for personal effectivenss in rouboed times: “The only antidote to politics of fear is politics of courage.They are doing everything they can to pull us apart. Let’s do everything we can to bring us together. It’s 10 times more powerful to talk to somebody you know because that’s much more likely to break through.”