South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg willingly accepts contributions from Washington lobbyists, despite a growing number of Democratic candidates who have vowed not to do so.
The campaign argues that Buttigieg is principled enough to ignore the demands of high-dollar contributors to his campaign.
“Pete has never made a decision based on a contribution that he’s received, and where he receives his contributions from has no bearing on the policy positions and governmental actions he takes,” said Communications Director Lis Smith said in a statement to HuffPost.
Washington lobbyist Steve Elmendorf will co-host a fundraiser for Buttigieg in May, according to an invitation obtained by NBC News.
“There’s something to be said about someone from out of Washington and a new, young person in this race,” Elmendorf told CNBC in an interview.
Buttigieg raised $7 million in the first quarter of 2019, as his rising profile has attracted the interests of donors in Hollywood and Silicon Vally.
Current Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and Cory Booker, as well as former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, have vowed not to take donations from Washington lobbyists, even though the money sometimes ends up in their coffers anyway.