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‘Gotta Say It’: Mark Halperin Says Pete Buttigieg Being ‘Short And Gay’ Weakens 2028 Prospects

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Political analyst Mark Halperin suggested Thursday that former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg’s status as a “short and gay” man could hurt his chances if he runs for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.

Buttigieg is reportedly considering whether to run for the presidency and has ruled out a Senate or gubernatorial run in Michigan. Halperin, on “The Morning Meeting,” pointed out that an “openly gay” man has never secured the presidency and noted that taller candidates tend to have the upper hand in modern presidential elections.

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“Gotta say it — he’s short and gay. So you can say winning the nomination, being short and gay, is a positive. And for some people, maybe not short, but gay is a positive,” Halperin said. “And I know for some people there is, but there is going to be a premium for the party in 2028 on winning, right? It’s just like ’92. There are going to be a lot of voters who are willing to swallow stuff in order to win.”

“I’ve looked at the list of people who’ve won the presidency. None of them were openly gay — three were gay, but none were openly gay. And so it’s just a risk,” he added. “And in almost every presidential race — not every one, but in almost every presidential race in the television era — the taller person has won. The Republican nominee in 2028 will be taller than Pete Buttigieg.”

Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer noted there’s a difference between winning the Democratic nomination and the general election. Halperin agreed, clarifying he was just discussing the nomination.

“I’m torn on whether or not, because he’s gay, it would be a liability,” former Democratic strategist Dan Turrentine chimed in. “I could see it being a liability with certain audiences. I think the question is, do you own it, or are you uncomfortable and hide from it?”

Halperin said regardless of the degree to which Buttigieg owns his gayness, it will be impossible to persuade voters that he is electable because of the lack of precedent. Turrentine retorted that former President Barack Obama was able to win the presidency despite being a black man, with Halperin acknowledging he had a point.

“But this is a time when electability is going to be a massive issue,” the political analyst said.

Obama reportedly joked that Buttigieg could not win the White House in 2020 because “he’s gay” and “short,” according to a 2021 book.

However, Buttigieg, who was formerly the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has downplayed the significance of his sexuality in terms of electability. He noted that he came out as gay while former Vice President Mike Pence was governor of Indiana.

“I got reelected with 80% of the vote in my generally Democratic but socially conservative community, more than I had the first time that I ran for office,” he said.

Buttigieg’s allies suggested that the choice not to run for office in Michigan puts him in a more ideal situation to run for president, Politico reported.

“In the months ahead I will be spending more time engaging both legacy and digital media in the service of a politics of everyday life, rooted in the values of freedom, security, and democracy,” Buttigieg wrote in a Thursday Substack piece. “I will be engaging partners, allies, friends and strangers in the service of a more convincing and widespread account of American prosperity than either side has so far offered.”