The Utah Democratic Party is excited to kick off the legislative session with their annual Legislative Gala on January 19, 2018.
The Gala will be keynoted by Pete Buttigieg, a progressive Democratic Mayor serving in the red state of Indiana. Pete Buttigieg was elected as South Bend City Mayor in 2011 at only 29 years old, and re-elected in 2015 with 80% of the vote. Over the six years that he has been mayor, South Bend went from being called one of America’s ten dying communities by Newsweek to seeing its fastest pace of population and investment growth in recent memory. He has been outspoken on progressive Democratic policies, reshaped South Bend, came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and ran for DNC Chair.
The Washington Post called him “the most interesting Mayor you’ve never heard of” and the New York Times ran a column saying that he could be the nation’s “first gay President.” Additionally, President Obama named him one of four Democrats who represented the future of the Democratic Party.
Mayor Pete served as a lieutenant in the Navy Reserve, and took an unpaid seven months leave during his mayoral term for a deployment to Afghanistan. He recently launched a political PAC called “Hitting Home,” to help Democrats win at every level by elevating the voices, concerns, and aspirations of Americans who no longer feel like they have a seat at the table in our political discourse.
In addition to Mayor Pete, both House and Senate minority leaders, Representative Brian King and Senator Gene Davis, will be speaking at the Gala. The gala will be held at the Grand America on Friday, January 19, 2018 from 6-9pm. Tickets and sponsorships are available here and are going fast, so make sure you purchase your tickets before it’s too late.
