Pete Buttigieg Quotes

Simply because you're a Democrat doesn't mean you can't speak to these issues in language that appeals to voters, particularly independent voters.

I do have friends that are Republicans, and we have very spirited conversations on a whole range of issues. I am often baffled by why they are Republicans, but I enjoy the dialogue and can move beyond politics to find common ground in my personal relationships.

We need independents, we need the GOP, we need Reagan Democrats.

The Washington establishment think Republicans win elections by you don't stand for anything, you keep your head down, you don't rock the boat. You know what? Every time we do that, we get clobbered in the polls.

McCain needs Hillary to run because that's what keeps the Republican coalition together. She helps unite the Republican base.

If Strom Thurmond could get 30% of the black vote, any Republican can.

There is ample evidence that participation in an electoral process forces any party, regardless of ideology, to moderate its position if it wants to attract voters in large numbers.

The Republicans Are Coming: Make Nice!

How to Turn Democrats & Republicans Into Americans

The people who show up at the early primaries are very passionate and not much interested in compromise.

Democratic politics—that is modern mass politics—is a battlefield in which the most important move is that which decides what the battle is about, what the issue is.

Democratic candidates who run from President Obama in red states where he is unpopular are making a big mistake. Their holding Obama at arm's length deprives voters of a clear choice at the ballot box.

My view of my role is that together with like-minded men and women, I could help contribute to a bipartisan view of American engagement in the world for another period; I could do my part to overcome this really, in a way, awful period in which we are turning history into personal recriminations, depriving our political system of a serious debate.

In politics, you have to understand that there are some cases where you'll never be able to get votes.

We need to recognize our agreements and disagreements with whomever is chosen as president, but we can't continue to just stall out in Washington just because it's not who I voted for. We have still an obligation and duty to challenge and to work through.

I would rather sit down with a Hollywood liberal any day than simply surround myself with fellow conservatives.

I don't have the luxury of just hanging out in my primary and, once I win the primary, I'm fine. I have to talk to Democrats and Republicans.

The Conservative party's always been a broad church, and I can appeal better than any of the other candidates to the centre ground to unite the country, and to voters who will ultimately deliver a majority so we can really get things moving.

For federal races, being able to carefully navigate the Trump Era is a significant challenge.

Essentially, how do you go after [Donald] Trump to have a real shot of taking back control of Congress in 2018? Democrats will need to energize not only their base, but also pick up actual swing voters who could be turned off from President Trump.

The key to winning any general election in the USA is to excite your base and then expand your base - get independent voters and voters who haven't been voting for your party to come to your party.

The Social Democrats have to listen to people who are attracted to the AfD party. That isn't a mistake at all. You can also win them back. Of course, there are a lot of angry voters who are ideologically charged. But there are also a lot of quieter voters who plan on voting AfD to send a message. We can never give up on them.

An Op-Ed by a Republican criticizing the Democrats, or vice versa, is easy to come by and not that interesting. But a Democrat who takes issue with his or her party, or a Republican who does that, is more valuable.

I've never done any cross-party stuff. I've no interest in sitting down discussing pensions or whatever with Tories.

The politicians, they try to please everybody and when you want to please everybody, you won't please everybody. That's not my way of doing politics.