Biography

Last name is pronounced "boot-edge-edge." It is the designation for "poultry" in Maltese, a Semitic language.

He was the mayor of South Bend, Indiana from January 1, 2012 until January 1, 2020.

Announced his candidacy for the 2020 US presidential election in January 2019. He is the first openly gay Democratic presidential candidate.

Came out as gay in an essay published in the South Bend Tribune in June 2015.

Served seven months in Afghanistan in the Navy Reserves while also serving as mayor of South Bend.

[on Donald Trump's 2016 campaign slogan Make American Great Again]There's a new generation of voices emerging in our country, walking away from the politics of the past and ready to deliver on our priorities. There is no' again' in the real world ; that's not a bad thing, we are ready for a fresh start.

The DNC is always vulnerable to this gravitational force that makes it treat the presidency like it's the only office that matters.

My marriage to Chasten has made me a better man. And yes, Mr. Vice President, it has moved me closer to God, that's the thing I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand : That if you have a problem with who I am, your quarrel is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator.

If you grew up during that Cold War period, then you saw a time in politics when the word socialism could be used to end an argument, today, I think a word like that is the beginning of a debate, not the end of a debate.

My generation is the generation that experienced school shootings beginning when I was in high school, the generation that fought in the post-9/11 wars, the first generation to have to deal with the reality of climate change, and the first generation not to be better off than our parents materially - if nothing changes, only a forward focus un-tethered from the politics of the past and anchored by our shared values - can change our national politics and our nation's future.