Indiana Mayor joins US presidential race

IANS  |  Washington 

Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old openly gay of South Bend, US state of Indiana, has officially announced his presidential bid.

"I recognise the audacity of doing this as More than a little bold -- at age 37 -- to seek the highest office in the land," he added.

is joining a crowded, diverse field of more than a dozen Democratic candidates, with progressive appeal featuring his Christian faith and sexual identity.

A veteran of war in Afghanistan, is the first openly gay candidate to pursue a major party presidential nomination.

He has garnered for his feud with Christian-conservative for the former governor's opposition to gay rights.

Buttigieg's campaign has raised over 7 million U.S. dollars in the first quarter of this year.

Latest polls of voters of and New Hampshire, the earliest states to vote in next year's primary elections, have put Buttigieg in the third place among Democratic contenders.

--IANS

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First Published: Mon, April 15 2019. 08:00 IST