(Iowa Capital Dispatch) Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg did not rule out a potential 2028 run for the presidency Monday at a campaign event for Iowa congressional candidate Sarah Trone Garriott in Des Moines.
When asked about a potential presidential bid during media availability after the event, Buttigieg said he is focused on the 2026 general election and helping elect candidates like Trone Garriott. The West Des Moines Democrat is running in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes the Des Moines metro area and southwest Iowa.
When asked by a reporter if he had ruled out running for president in 2028, Buttigieg said, “Nope.”
Buttigieg, who won the Democratic Iowa Caucuses for president in 2020, has been in Iowa rallying Democrats the past two days, encouraging his party to focus on personal conversations with voters and engage in grassroots campaign efforts.
Buttigieg also said Democrats need to focus on their party platform and not just opposition to President Donald Trump’s policies. While acknowledging Democrats should continue to fight Trump’s policies, he said they should not be limited to opposition.
“I have been preaching from coast to coast to anybody who will listen in our party that our politics cannot just be about what we’re against,” Buttigieg said. “There’s a lot to be upset about in the way the country’s being run. We also need to remember that we are standing up for the kind of leadership that can get us past this point.”
Buttigieg touted Trone Garriott as an example of “human decency,” something he said is needed in Washington, D.C., right now.
“We’ve got to build something that is not just better than now, but better than before, and that’s going to require a lot of Midwestern common sense,” Buttigieg said. “That’s going to require a lot of human decency, and that is part of what has drawn me to Sarah Trone Garriott and her campaign.”
Buttigieg and Trone Garriott encourage cross-party conversations
When elected to the state Senate in 2022, Trone Garriott flipped a Republican seat held by Jake Chapman, the Iowa Senate president.
Trone Garriott said she was able to win the election by knocking on the doors of registered Republicans and independents. She said Iowa voters are “ticket splitters,” meaning they vote for members of different parties.
“Iowans are independent-minded voters across party lines, and they like to vote for the person, not the party,” Trone Garriott said. “If you can make that positive connection, it makes a world of difference and helps them know who to vote for and to make sure that they’re making an informed choice.”
When having conversations with voters, Buttigieg said the goal is not to “turn them into Democrats,” but to have conversations about the “things we really care about.”
Buttigieg said he believes Americans, regardless of party affiliation, agree on a lot of issues, and more conversations and “door-knocking” would help combat polarization.
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” Buttigieg said. “The flag of the United States is red, white, and blue, not red or blue.”
Democratic enthusiasm in Iowa
Buttigieg and Trone Garriott were both optimistic about Democrats’ chances in Iowa, especially in the state’s 3rd Congressional District, where Trone Garriott is looking to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn.
Trone Garriott said Nunn has never held an “open” town hall with Iowans, and his decisions to vote for reduced Medicaid funding, the U.S. war in Iran and tariffs will cost him the election this November.
“It’s a pretty strong contrast,” Trone Garriott said. “We’re going to knock on doors, we’re going to be on the phones, we’re going to be in the communities and we’re going to be showing up for the people of Iowa because they deserve nothing less.”
Buttigieg said he believes national commentators are underestimating the potential for the 3rd Congressional District to flip to the Democratic Party.
“I’m excited. I’m here because Sarah can win, and I think it’s really important for people to understand that these are very competitive races in districts and places that I think a lot of the national commentators sometimes write off,” Buttigieg said. “Sarah has already won repeatedly in districts that have been controlled by Republicans, and she’s done that because she’s right on the issues and she’s the right kind of person. I’m excited to be part of this one, and many races in Iowa that I think are really going to turn some heads come November.”
Photo: Former Secretary of Transportation and 2020 Democratic Iowa Caucuses winner Pete Buttigieg speaks July 13, 2026, at a Des Moines rally for state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott’s bid for the U.S. House. (Photo by Kadin Luhmann/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
