Pete Buttigieg visits Seattle area over weekend for fundraisers

SEATTLE — Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg wrapped up his third Seattle-area fundraiser at a Mercer Island home Sunday.

People gathered in the home of Jeremy Lott, the president of an apparel importing business, to hear Buttigieg talk about his candidacy for president.

Tickets cost $500 to $2,800. And those who spent $2,800 got access to a private meet and greet, according to an online invitation.

In attendance were former Seattle Mayor and Councilmember Tim Burgess.

Buttigieg started his speech by asking attendees to imagine “the first day that the sun comes up and Donald Trump is no the longer president.”

“I think we’re all ready for that. Put the corruption behind us and not wondering what tweet is going to be emanating from the Oval Office,” Buttigieg said.

However, he cautioned, if President Donald Trump loses reelection, “the sun is going to be coming up over a country even more divided than we are now. We will be even more polarized than we are now: torn up over politics, exhausted from fighting."

One thing Buttigieg didn’t hit much on, was policy. He focused more on values and viability. He also pushed his support for ending the electoral college system and favored electing the president by a simple majority vote, although such a change would require a constitutional amendment.

Buttigieg pointed at keeping in line with recent presidents like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama when it comes to his candidacy.

Questions Buttigieg took from members of the audience as the night wrapped up included the actions he would take to solve the opioid addiction and the homeless crisis.

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