TOPEKA – On Friday and Saturday, March 2-3, 2018, the Kansas Democratic Party will hold its annual Washington Days event, the largest gathering of Democrats in the state.
The convention, held at the Ramada Topeka Downtown Hotel and Convention Center, 420 SE 6th Ave., will include a Saturday evening keynote address by Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana, former candidate for chair of the Democratic National Committee, and one of the Democratic party’s brightest young stars. This year’s event will also feature the first-ever Washington Days gubernatorial candidate forum, held over the Saturday luncheon, with all Democratic candidates participating.
“We’re really excited to have Mayor Pete Buttigieg at Washington Days this year,” Kansas Democratic Party Executive Director Ethan Corson said. “Mayor Pete has gained national recognition for his work in South Bend and his positive, optimistic vision for the Democratic Party. We’re looking forward to him sharing his message with our members.”
Additional events include a series of training sessions on Friday afternoon and early evening, caucus meetings on Saturday morning, and a meeting of the State Committee on Saturday afternoon. All events other than the luncheon and banquet are free to attend. More information can be found at kansasdems.org/washingtondays2018.
“Kansas Democrats are working to get our state back on track after the disastrous effects of the radical agenda pushed by Gov. Sam Brownback and ultra-conservatives in the Kansas Legislature,” said Corson. “Energizing Democrats and reaching out to unaffiliated voters and moderate Republicans across Kansas, the Kansas Democratic Party is building off of its success at the state legislative level in the 2016 elections and in the 2017 local elections. Our competitive primary contests and surge in voter engagement show that the blue wave building in elections across the country in 2017 is coming Kansas’ way.”
PETE BUTTIGIEG BIO:
Mayor Pete Buttigieg is the City of South Bend’s thirty-second mayor. He was sworn into office on January 1, 2012. In 2011, he was elected at age 29 with 74 percent of the vote to become the youngest mayor of a city with over 100,000 residents in the United States. He was re-elected in 2015 with 80 percent of the vote.
Under his leadership, South Bend has addressed its toughest challenges- seeing positive economic and population growth for the first time in decades and reimagining its role in the global economy with the development of key corridors.
In addition to his work as Mayor, Mayor Pete serves as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve. In 2014, he was actively deployed to Afghanistan for a seven-month tour of duty, returning in September. For his counterterrorism work, he earned the Joint Service Commendation Medal.
In 2017, he ran for Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair, earning national praise for his “rhetorical gift, thanks to his red-state upbringing” and ability to “[sell] Democratic policy through a less partisan lens.”
Before public service, Mayor Pete worked for McKinsey & Company, a top consulting firm, where he was responsible for advising senior business and government leaders on major decisions related to economic development, energy policy, strategic business initiatives, and logistics.
A Rhodes Scholar, Mayor Pete studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Oxford and holds a bachelor’s degree in History and Literature from Harvard. The son of educators, he was born in South Bend and grew up in the Northwest Side and North Shore Triangle. He graduated from St. Joseph High School in South Bend.
An active musician, Mayor Pete plays piano and guitar, and has performed with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra. He lives in the same South Bend neighborhood where he grew up and is restoring a once-vacant home there.
– SUBMITTED –