A previous presidential candidate returned to Iowa on Tuesday, delivering a town hall address in Cedar Rapids that many interpret as a prelude to a potential 2028 presidential bid.
The event, organized by the progressive political action committee VoteVets, marked former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s first public political appearance since the conclusion of the Biden administration.
Addressing a packed auditorium, Buttigieg declared, “We are being tested on nothing less than whether the United States of America is in fact the freedom-loving people that we believe and know ourselves to be. Let us meet that test.”
Democratic Party’s Image and Strategy Under Scrutiny
Buttigieg acknowledged challenges facing the Democratic Party, stating, “Democrats do not have the best brand around here and a lot of places. There’s a lot of reasons for that: some fair, some unfair.”
He advocated for connecting political beliefs and actions to everyday life, asserting, “I think the most important thing is that we connect everything we believe, everything we say, everything we do to everyday life.”
The former secretary criticized the Trump administration’s policies, particularly concerning veterans’ affairs.
He responded to concerns about proposed cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs by urging constituents to apply pressure on Congress, stating, “The most important thing right now is to apply pressure to anybody who’s in a position to deal with it, and here enter the United States Congress.”
He added, “Right now, we may not be seeing a huge amount of courage from the President’s allies in the United States Congress.”
While Buttigieg did not explicitly announce a 2028 presidential campaign, his return to Iowa—a state pivotal in his 2020 campaign—has fueled speculation.
He previously declined to run for Michigan’s open Senate seat, leaving the door open for a potential presidential bid.
Iowa Republicans Hit Back
Republican representatives from Iowa, including Ashley Hinson and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, responded to Buttigieg’s remarks.
Hinson’s campaign stated, “We don’t need the people who lied to Iowans and covered up Joe Biden’s decline while destroying our country to come lecture us about taking care of our veterans.”
Miller-Meeks’ campaign added, “Failed presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg was part of the disastrous Biden-Harris agenda that drove up inflation, supported men in women’s sports, and lost Iowa by 13 points in 2024.”
