Former DNC chairman endorses Buttigieg for president

Former Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman and Massachusetts official Steve Grossman on Thursday endorsed South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg for president. 

“Proud to support @PeteButtigieg and his vision for inclusive prosperity for all Americans,”  tweeted Grossman, who has also led the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Proud to support @PeteButtigieg and his vision for inclusive prosperity for all Americans. #PeteButtigieg #PeteForAmerica https://t.co/42Iv1x2aEf

— Steve Grossman (@SteveGrossmanMA) April 11, 2019

Grossman met Buttigieg two years ago when the mayor was mounting a bid for DNC chair, according to The Boston Globe.  

“I said, ‘This is a guy who can help revolutionize a party that is in desperate need of being revolutionized,’” Grossman told The Globe. 

“As I see the maturity he has shown as he’s become a more prominent figure on the national stage, it validated all the instincts I had when I supported him for chair of the DNC,” he added. 

Grossman has also served as the Massachusetts state treasurer and previously donated to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who is also running for president. He told the newspaper that he still likes Warren. 

“You would never hear me say a negative thing about Elizabeth Warren,” he said. “My concern is the future of the United States … and I think Pete has the capacity to be the beacon for an awful lot of people who really feel a deep, deep sense of concern.”

The Globe reports that Grossman will go to what is expected to be Buttigieg’s official campaign launch Sunday. Buttigieg was once seen as a long-shot candidate but has been receiving a lot of media attention and even some comparisons to former President Obama in recent weeks. 

Recent polls of Democratic voters in Iowa and New Hampshire have the mayor in third place, trailing former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).