Buttigieg won't rule out 2028 presidential bid as he rallies in Iowa

DES MOINES - Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg left the door open to a potential 2028 presidential run during a visit to Iowa, but said he is focused on the 2026 midterm elections.

After rallying phone bank volunteers with Democratic congressional hopeful Sarah Trone Garriott in Des Moines on July 13, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and winner of the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses offered a one-word response when asked if he would rule out a 2028 White House run.

"Nope," Buttigieg said.

Buttigieg told reporters: "I already have a lot of great friends in Iowa, and it's been fun to reactivate some of those relationships in the service of the ticket that's on the ballot right now in '26. I'm super focused on this year's election. The future will come, but right now, we got a very important set of elections in front of us right now."

Buttigieg was in Iowa to boost Democratic state and federal candidates ahead of a consequential 2026 midterm election. He headlined the Iowa Democratic Party's annual Liberty and Justice fundraiser in Altoona, Iowa, on July 12, where he applauded the momentum Iowa Democrats are rekindling after years of political headwinds.

This marked his second trip to Iowa within a little more than a year after he stumped in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, last May, as Iowa has a slate of competitive races that have put it on the national map. National Democrats are eyeing the 1st and 3rd Congressional districts as pickup opportunities, and Iowa's open-seat U.S. Senate and governor's races are shaping up to be highly competitive.

In his brief remarks, Buttigieg drew cheers when he told the crowd, "I love being back in Iowa." He urged volunteers to work toward a future where all Americans have access to affordable health care, the wealthiest pay their fair share in taxes, infrastructure and public services are properly funded, and the U.S. flag is seen as "red, white and blue - not red or blue."

"We are right to stand up against the abuses and the cruelty and everything that's going on right now," Buttigieg said. "We also need to remember that we are standing up for the kind of leadership that can get us past this point because there's going to come a time when our job is not just to put a stop to everything that's wrong right now, but to build what comes next."

Buttigieg's profile ahead of midterm elections

Buttigieg has become a prolific midterm campaigner among a burgeoning field of 2028 presidential hopefuls, endorsing candidates in more than 30 races and boosting his profile with swing-state trips.

Trone Garriott, who is running to oust Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn in south-central Iowa's 3rd Congressional District, said she appreciated that Buttigieg "brings that humanity to service and he shows up and connects with people." She thanked him for his support of her campaign in a room packed with dozens of volunteers.

"We see folks who are very polished, and they're all about being a politician and climbing the ladder and winning and building power for themselves," Trone Garriott said. "And Pete, he cares about the people, and he's showing up to connect with folks and talks about what it's like to be a real person doing this hard work, which is something that I need to know: 'Hey, it's possible to do this work and have a family and be a part of a community and be a good neighbor.' And he really models that for candidates like me."

Buttigieg emerged as a top-tier candidate in Iowa Democrats' previously nation-leading caucuses before the state party lost its first-in-the-nation status four years later. Since then, Iowa Democrats have weighed going rogue if their caucuses aren't placed near the top of the calendar.

Members of the Democratic National Committee complicated that potential move in May by approving new fines and penalties for state parties that violate its 2028 presidential nominating calendar.

Speaking with reporters on Sunday, July 12, Buttigieg declined to take sides on whether Iowa Democrats should buck the national party on its caucus status, saying he "respects" that he doesn't "have a role" in the process.

"Being here made me a better candidate, a better public servant, and that process where people, whether they're former vice president or sitting vice president, all the way to the total unknown, have to be there in the diners and the backyards and convince people to stand up in front of their neighbors and say why you want to be the fit," Buttigieg said. "I just think there's incredible value in that process."

Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann said in a statement that Buttigieg should have affirmed the Hawkeye State's place at the front of the presidential nominating calendar.

"Pete is exactly right," Kaufmann said. "You cannot buy a win in Iowa. It is hand-to-hand combat - one gym, one diner, one VFW at a time. But he should have gone one step further and said Iowa should go first, that national Democrats rigged the nominating process for Joe Biden and that the Iowa Democratic Party failed to defend Iowa's first-in-the-nation status."

Marissa Payne covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. Reach her by email at mjpayne@registermedia.com. Follow her on X at @marissajpayne.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Buttigieg won't rule out 2028 presidential bid as he rallies in Iowa

Reporting by Marissa Payne, USA TODAY NETWORK / Des Moines Register

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This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 10:14 PM.