Pete Buttigieg started a fundraising blitz through Los Angeles donor circles on Thursday, a reflection of the sudden interest in his unexpected rise as a serious candidate for the Democratic nomination. In contrast to previous visits to Los Angeles, where he has met individually with prominent bundlers and held meet and greets, his schedule includes four fundraisers aimed at higher-end donors and one, at the West Hollywood nightspot The Abbey, billed as a grassroots gathering. Jeffrey Katzenberg, who Buttigieg met with on a visit last month, will be co-hosting an event with wife Marilyn on Thursday evening at the home of Claire and Brian Goldsmith, with tickets starting at $250 per person (for those under 37, which is Buttigieg’s age). Those who write checks for $2,800 or raise that amount can get a picture with the candidate, and those who contribute $1,000 will receive a signed book. Claire Goldsmith is an online education administrator; Brian Goldsmith is an investor who has co-hosted a podcast with Katie Couric. On Thursday afternoon, Buttigieg attended a lunch in Brentwood, co-chaired by Jill Goldman, Vicki Kennedy, Lauren Taschen and Wendy Riva. Tickets started at $250 per person. Later in the day he was scheduled for an event at the The Abbey, with tickets starting at $25 per person, with co-hosts including West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tempore Lindsey Horvath, Sam Greisman and UTA’s Brent Weinstein. He’ll also be doing a later-in-the-evening event at the home of Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband, writer-producer Brad Falchuk. Bradley Whitford and Amy Landecker are also co-hosts, with tickets starting at $250 per person. Buttigieg attended a public event on Thursday morning in support of Measure EE, the parcel tax initiative that would raise money for L.A. public schools. Buttigieg spoke along with Mayor Eric Garcetti, telling the crowd that it is a “selfless act” sometimes “to stand up, to take the time to defend this measure, to defend workers’ rights, to insist on more resources, on more professionals, on better wages.” Asked what his strategy would be if he were on a debate stage with President Trump, Buttigieg said, “You know, you can’t get too worried on the name calling and the games he plays. I was thinking of a Chinese proverb that goes, ‘When the wind changes, some people build walls and some people build windmills. '”<doc-sep>Presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg has appeared at a packed fundraiser at one of the world’s most famous gay bars. The Democratic Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, took part in the ‘grassroots’ event yesterday evening at The Abbey in West Hollywood, Los Angeles. Joined by his husband, Chasten, Buttigieg, 37, met with the public and gave a speech. Supporters are believed to have paid $25 a ticket, according to ABC. According to The Abbey’s social media, the event sold out and pulled in up to 700 people. ‘Unprecedented’ Democratic California Senator Henry Stern introduced Buttigieg to the stage, revealing that he went to Harvard with Buttigieg. He praised the mayor’s ‘decency, humility and … brilliance. ‘The mind on this young man is unprecedented.’ Buttigieg, who announced his intention to run for the Democratic nomination for President in April, then took to the stage. He encouraged the crowd to believe in the potential for change. ‘Tell them you saw … a top tier presidential candidate on his way to the White House moments after his husband introduced him.’ He spoke about coming from the industrial midwest, how politics had changed his life and his motivations for running for the highest office in the country. Taking aim at President Trump, he also said you cannot make America great again by dragging it back to the past. Noting how his husband was also picking up a great deal of attention, he said, ‘I’m really enjoying seeing America come to fall in love with him the way I have.’ The Abbey posted video of the speech to its Facebook. Touching tribute to Chasten Glazemen Buttigieg’s husband, Chasten Glazemen, also took the stage and talked about his own journey. ‘Twelve years ago when I came out, I didn’t think there was a spot in this world for me. Five years ago, I never thought I’d find love. Met someone pretty amazing. And here we are.’ Buttigieg also used his Instagram yesterday to post a touching tribute to his husband. The photo he posted showed him gazing into the eyes of his spouse. The accompanying caption simply read: ‘Couldn’t do this without you.’ The two men recently featured on the cover of Time magazine. The publication touted them as potentially the US’s future ‘first family.’ See also https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/pete-buttigieg-god-wouldnt-support-republicans/ Oprah Winfrey nicknames Pete Buttigieg ‘Buttabeep, Buttaboop’ 70% of US voters willing to vote for a gay president<doc-sep>Pete Buttigieg drew a sold-out crowd to a fundraiser at an iconic West Hollywood gay bar Thursday, providing an intimate moment with the first Democratic White House contender who is a member of the LGBTQ community. Abbey patrons each paid about $25 to attend the South Bend, Ind., mayor’s “grass-roots” event. Buttigieg was introduced by his husband, Chasten. It’s just one of a crush of fundraisers he has in the coming days, with actress Gwyneth Paltrow holding a high-dollar fundraiser later Thursday. Buttigieg told the audience to ignore skeptics who say change is impossible: “Tell them you saw ... a top tier presidential candidate on his way to the White House moments after his husband introduced him.” Advertisement Read more: Mayor Pete Buttigieg is the hottest thing in politics. Can it last? » Read more: Pete Buttigieg digs Phish and Radiohead — but don’t expect them at his inauguration »<doc-sep>ROCK HILL, S.C. — Somewhere between Pete Buttigieg being mistaken for a teenager making a promposal, and answering a question in Norwegian, and proclaiming that it was millennials’ turn to lead “at the highest level,” South Carolina got a crash course in a new Democratic celebrity. Mr. Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Ind., drew large, enthusiastic crowds in his first campaign visit to the early-voting state over the weekend. That followed a series of well-received appearances on national TV, which have helped fuel his new popularity: An Iowa poll on Monday showed him jumping to third place in the 2020 caucus race, and a Quinnipiac national poll on Thursday showed him rising to fifth and tied with Senator Elizabeth Warren. “This was supposed to be a little meet-and-greet Q. and A.,” he told hundreds of people in a college gym in Rock Hill, after his event was bumped from the library to accommodate a wave of RSVPs. [Our On Politics newsletter took a look at the ‘Buttigieg boomlet.’] Many Democrats have drawn impressive crowds early this presidential cycle, a reflection of Democrats’ pent-up desire to defeat President Trump. But Mr. Buttigieg, a Rhodes scholar and a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, was largely an afterthought in a field of much better-known hopefuls. His national TV appearances built on an online following he developed with detailed, earnest and sometimes personal answers at events in Iowa and New Hampshire this winter, and his outside-the-box progressive stands on some policies.<doc-sep>
Presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg drew a sold-out crowd to a fundraiser at an iconic West Hollywood gay bar on Thursday. Attendees at The Abbey each paid about $25 to attend the grassroots event for Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who was introduced by his husband, Chasten. “If anybody tells you whether they’re not sure if America is capable in these twisted and dark times of delivering or vindicating our hopes,” Buttigieg told the crowd, “tell them you saw at The Abbey in West Hollywood the top tier presidential candidate on his way to the White House, moments after his husband introduced him.” The location of the fundraiser took on increased significance for Buttigieg’s supporters, especially those from the LGBTQ community who see themselves represented by the first major openly gay Democratic presidential candidate. “A presidential candidate even being seen at The Abbey would have been viewed as a red letter scandal not 10 years ago,” one person wrote on Twitter. A Presidential candidate even being seen at The Abbey would have been a red letter scandal not 10 years ago. #LookForThingsToCelebrate — JF Sanborn (@SanbornJF) May 10, 2019 Speaking to an estimated 700 supporters, Buttigieg responded to President Donald Trump’s jab the day before, when he appeared to mock Buttigieg’s ability to adequately deal with foreign leaders. “You can’t get too worried about the name-calling and the games he plays,” Buttigieg told the crowd. “The negotiations that they are conducting, whether it’s on trade or things like North Korea, are usually a personal high-wire act with no safety net.” The 2020 hopeful also managed to keep it light, talking about his rescue dogs, Truman and Buddy, with TMZ. He told the entertainment outlet that the two pups have enriched his life, and he confirmed he won’t give up dog dad duties if elected president. When asked by TMZ whether he’ll still personally clean up after his dogs if elected, Buttigieg responded, “Yeah, dogs don’t care, so I guess we have to do it.” The Abbey event was just one of several fundraisers Buttigieg had slated for Thursday. Earlier that afternoon, he attended a lunch in Brentwood and later that evening, he went to a fundraiser hosted by actress Gwyneth Paltrow. Tickets for both events started at $250 a person, according to Variety. FOLLOW NBC OUT ON TWITTER, FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM