Dean, who was himself the DNC chair from 2005-2009, told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that he is backing Buttigieg because the Democratic Party desperately needs an infusion of young blood from outside the political sphere of Washington. The Indiana mayor perfectly fits the bill, Dean said.
“Most important thing: he’s the outside-the-beltway candidate. This party is in trouble. Our strongest age group that votes for us is under 35. And they don't consider themselves Democrats,” Dean said, noting the low turnout among younger voters in mid-term and down-ballot races. “Our leadership is old and creaky, including me, and we’ve got to have this guy, 36 years old, running this party. I had dinner with him last night. He is really, really capable and smart.”
Buttigieg, who is 35 years old, not 36, as Dean stated, has been the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, since 2012 and before that was a candidate to be Indiana’s state treasurer. As a Naval reserve officer, Buttigieg was deployed to Afghanistan for seven months in 2014.
