Mayor Pete Buttigieg is for the people: in the four hours after the South Bend mayor announced his run for presidency, his campaign received about a million dollars in donations. A millenial, openly gay, military veteran mayor who turned run-down housing into fresh new living spaces, diversified business in his town and turned one-way streets into two-way thoroughfares seemed to easily grab the hearts of his own constituents and Americans from all over the country alike. The likable, successful politician and Rhodes scholar who speaks eight languages wants to make history by becoming the very first person to become president directly after being a mayor, and clearly, he’s a capable force. To some, this portrays Mayor Buttigieg as an ambitious underdog worth rooting for, but his inexperience does not inspire confidence from everyone. It is unnerving, though, that someone with so little experience could follow a president with a similar lack of experience. Though Mayor Buttigieg admittedly has more political experience than Donald Trump did when he was elected, whoever is elected in 2020—Democrat, Republican or otherwise—ought to be apt in political proceedings.

Running on an anti-Trump platform, Mayor Buttigieg prides himself on being the new, fresh take on policy that many believe will lead the charge of the 2020 presidential election, but so far, his novelty seems to be most of what’s going for him. This is not to say that this ought to be written off or ignored, but it shouldn’t be why he receives support. When electing the President of the U.S., one should more seriously consider their ability to effectively lead large groups, compromise, make progress and deliver on their plans. Of course, Buttigieg has done that in South Bend, but other 2020 candidates have done so on a much larger scale, and that fact shouldn’t go unnoticed. Though he revitalized business in his city and brought new jobs to the area, executing a bold plan to reinvigorate South Bend’s business district and downtown area, his lack of tangible experience is still a factor  with which voters should be concerned. While results are imperative to a successful political run, and it’s apparent that Buttigieg can follow through on his promises, his 2020 election counterparts have held more powerful offices for a much longer time than Buttigieg. Senator Kamala Harris served as attorney general for California for five years and is currently a senator, and Senator Cory Booker has held his position since 2013.

However, Mayor Buttigieg has clearly been successful during his stint as South Bend’s mayor, so to consider his leadership capability isn’t completely misguided, just a bit risky. Additionally, Mayor Pete got wrapped up in a racial controversy in his own town that involved illegal wiretapping. Given that the details regarding that situation aren’t exactly apparent, given Buttigieg’s own inability to divulge details to the public, it causes people to be wary about Mayor Pete’s views on racial equality, as well as his ability to handle controversy. As well as that, he claimed to have created a citizens’ review board regarding police discipline and positions but appeared to have not made anything new at all, about which citizens were not pleased. 

To expect somebody to run an entire country even though they’ve never governed more than a city is a risky decision, given the condition of the U.S.—the people need someone with experience to spare and the ability to make difficult decisions while handling conflict. Mayor Pete hasn’t proven himself proficient in those subjects just yet.