Where Pete Buttigieg Goes In Iowa, Endorsements Follow

With nine days until the Iowa Caucus, every campaign is competing for those remaining key endorsements from activists and elected officials. The best way to lock in wavering Iowans is to do so in person, and Pete Buttigieg has the advantage there as he stumps throughout the state while some of his competitors are stuck in Washington, D.C.

Buttigieg has a new list of 21 Iowa endorsements out today, including State Representative Scott Ourth of Warren County.

“After months of meeting the candidates and doing my homework, I am proud to endorse Pete Buttigieg for president,” said Ourth. “I got into politics to make sure that every person for generations to come has an equal shot at life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I see that same desire in Pete.”

Many of the other new backers hail from the places that Buttigieg just campaigned in, out in Dubuque, Linn, Tama and Shelby counties.

One name many Iowans will recognize is Bill Stumpf, a leading advocate for the disability community from Dubuque. He endorsed Buttigieg this week, and he and his son Kyle helped lead off the candidate’s event in Dubuque on Wednesday.

The Stumpfs previously attended a Democratic debate over the summer at the invitation of Kirsten Gillibrand, and have gotten questions about disability rights in at other national debates and frequently on the Iowa campaign trail.

“Kyle and I believe Pete’s plan for health care and his disability policy along with his willingness to listen to regular folks like us and include that input into his policy proposals will best support people with disabilities and all Americans,” said Bill Stumpf. “We wholeheartedly endorse his candidacy to be the next President of the United States of America.”

Buttigieg adds another slew of local elected officials in this rollout, including Linn County Supervisor Ben Rogers, Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden, Lee County Supervisor Gary Folluo, Shelby County Attorney Marcus Gross, and Story County Sheriff Paul Fitzgerald.

While Buttigieg has trailed some of his competitors in state legislator endorsements (Ourth’s addition makes five), the former South Bend mayor has done particularly well among municipal and county-level officials.

“We need a leader that can unite this country by reclaiming our hope and our optimism for the future,” said Linn County Supervisor Ben Rogers. “That’s why I support Mayor Pete Buttigieg for President because he is the next generation of leaders who I believe has the vision, tenacity and ability to change this world for the better.”

“Pete gets that public education is the backbone of America,” added West Des Moines School Board Member Liz Brennan. “He has demonstrated that he will be a strong advocate for teachers and students in the White House, and I would be very proud to call him my president.”

Here’s the full list of new endorsers for Buttigieg:

• Scott Ourth, Iowa State Representative, Warren County
• Tom Henderson, former Chair of the Polk County Democrats
• Ben Rogers, Linn County Supervisor
• Jerry Vander Sanden, Linn County Attorney
• Dave Baker, Dubuque County Supervisor
• Laura Roussell, Dubuque City Council Member
• Danny Sprank, Dubuque City Council Member
• Bill and Kyle Stumpf, disability advocates, Dubuque
• Gary Folluo, Chair of Lee County Board of Supervisors and former Mayor of Keokuk
• Jim Erb, former Mayor of Charles City
• Marcy Hallengren, Schaller City Council Member
• Carol Proctor, Davis City City Council Member
• Marcus Gross, Shelby County Attorney
• Paul Fitzgerald, Story County Sheriff
• Liz Brennan, West Des Moines School Board Member
• Lance Roorda, Iowa State Senate candidate, Mahaska County
• Dave Degner, Iowa State Senate Candidate, Tama County
• Skip Moore, former Des Moines City Council Member
• Roy Porterfield, former Chair of Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission
• Maggie Willems, public education advocate, Linn County

by Pat Rynard
Posted 1/25/20