Kal Penn thinks Vice President Kamala Harris should pick Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to be her running mate, making the case in an opinion piece for Esquire. While Penn’s best known as an actor, he also worked in White House outreach under President Barack Obama during both of his terms in office, as well as on both of the former president’s campaigns.
Penn pointed to how Obama won the presidency in making his argument, writing that it was “in part because of his ability to raise policy expectations and expand the electorate.”
“That’s where, in 2024, Pete Buttigieg comes in,” Penn’s piece reads. “A son of the Midwest, Buttigieg is a former Rust Belt Mayor, a polyglot and a Navy veteran, and for the past three and a half years, he has served as secretary of transportation. He has the highest name recognition and favorability of anyone on Vice President Harris’s shortlist.”
Buttigieg built much of that name recognition by running for the 2020 Democratic nomination, but he’s also received praise for his talent at media appearances, particularly on potentially adversarial outlets like Fox News.
“There is no other politician in either party who can effortlessly appear on Fox News and Bill Maher and TMZ Live,” Penn stated. “Buttigieg’s regular media interviews and viral congressional testimonies exemplify what an unafraid, sharply skilled leader he is. We shouldn’t underestimate the potential of this.”
Penn’s editorial lays out his belief in how a Harris/Buttigieg ticket could contrast nicely against their Republican rivals.
“Buttigieg rejects false us-versus-them narratives. He’s respectful. He disarms with a physical smile and an intellectual shiv,” Penn wrote. “Imagine him joining a President Harris for that version of America every day. Now imagine the bluster of JD Vance and Donald Trump.”
The article from Penn concedes that it would be difficult to pass legislation, no matter how well it’s argued for, without 60 votes in the Senate. At the same time, Penn noted, “It would be a miss to choose a VP candidate who might take away a Senate or governor’s seat from a Democrat” — alluding to many of the other most-discussed potential picks for Harris’ running mate, including names like Gov. Josh Shapiro, Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. Mark Kelly.
The article doesn’t mention, however, the biggest concern that most opponents to the idea of Buttigieg’s nomination have seemed to raise: his orientation as an openly gay man. With that said, Penn — who has also publicly come out as gay — does talk up Buttigieg’s normalcy as a family man, writing, “As a young husband and father of two with a modest home in northern Michigan, he speaks openly about his own family’s struggles and triumphs, which mirror what many Americans deal with day to day. That type of empathy doesn’t exist across the aisle.”
Penn also noted that Buttigieg was the top pick for suburban and rural voters behind Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who has publicly said that she doesn’t want the job at this point. He used his argumentative powers to win the 2020 Iowa caucuses.
Along with a certain gift of gab, Penn argued that Buttigieg has shown talent in fundraising as well, bringing in $100 million in the last presidential cycle. Those funds largely came from first-time donors. Penn also explained why Buttigieg’s background as transportation secretary would be an asset coming into the VP role and help him be prepared from the jump in a Harris administration.
Just 42 years old — only a few years older than Vance — Buttigieg’s youth could be an advantage, Penn added.
“Younger Americans cite economic concerns as top of mind,” he wrote. “Buttigieg is young enough to understand — and experienced enough to advise on — rapid evolution in things like AI and technology. With China and India investing heavily in these arenas, wouldn’t it benefit the American worker to have a vice president who gets it?”
Penn also argues how Buttigieg could be an asset on policy when it comes to the war in Gaza and more.
His essay concludes, “Vice President Harris should choose Pete Buttigieg because he raises the bar on the conversations we ought to be having on the direction of our country. I hope she does. It’s the winning ticket.”
