Chasten Buttigieg, Mayor Pete’s husband, gave a one-on-one interview with ABC News in their series “Running Mates”.
Chasten spoke about falling in love with Pete after meeting on the gay dating app Hinge: “I won’t lie. It was a picture of him in the military. And I fell hard and fast.”
“It’s hard” on their marriage, said Chasten, “but it is a sacrifice that’s worth making. Because I have seen Peter go out there and change people’s lives, save people’s lives because of the visibility of his campaign.”
Asked about his power as a fundraising tool for the campaign, Chasten replied, “You know, I think if you’re looking for a presidential fundraising powerhouse people probably don’t look for a middle school drama teacher, but I think I can connect with people as a person who came out in a country that made LGBTQ Americans feel disgusting and unwanted and unloved. I know what it’s like to feel like this country doesn’t stand for you.”
Chasten also responded to Rush Limbaugh’s recent remarks.
Said Chasten: “I’ve been dealing with this my whole life. I dealt with a multitude of Rush Limbaughs when I was walking through the hallways of my high school. You saw that Pete is ready to go toe-to-toe with this president. Pete can take on the likes of Rush Limbaugh. But I’m more worried about the kids. I’m more worried about the people in this country who are watching how we treat this candidacy, treat this campaign, and the way we treat people who for so long have been attacked by people like Rush Limbaugh and this president. And I think it is time for moral leadership to be restored to the White House. So when you are ready to share that deepest truth about yourself, when you are ready to step out of the closet, you step out into something hopeful, and inclusive. And you look up to Washington and you see a president who cares about you, and loves you.”
Chasten also spoke about being homeless after coming out to his family, and the “happy ending” of getting to finally go home and his parents’ coming around.
Said Chasten: “I obviously want Pete to be president. But if for some reason it doesn’t work out, I will not for one moment hang my head in shame.”
