皮特·布蒂吉格在过去一年里能够为民主党在全国范围内进行竞选活动，比他许多潜在的2028年竞争对手更频繁。原因之一：他没有工作。
Pete Buttigieg has been able to campaign for Democrats across the country more than many of his potential 2028 rivals this past year. One reason: He doesn't have a job.
这是他主动选择的。当民主党高层今年敦促他参加密歇根州州长或美国参议员选举时，布蒂吉格拒绝了。
That's by choice. Buttigieg said no when top Democrats urged him to run for governor or the U.S. Senate in Michigan this year.
这件事为何重要：这一决定对布蒂吉格的总统抱负来说是一种赌注。他在过去两年里建立了全国性的政治网络，但尚未丰富他相对薄弱的简历——他曾是印第安纳州南本德市的前市长，也是乔·拜登的交通部长。布蒂吉格今年44岁，成为全国性政治人物并未走常规道路。
Why it matters: That decision is a gamble for Buttigieg's presidential ambitions. He's been able to build a national network over the last two years but hasn't added to his relatively thin resume as a former mayor of South Bend, Ind., and Joe Biden's transportation secretary. Buttigieg, 44, became a national political figure without following the typical path.
他在2020年总统选举中以小城镇市长身份参选，凭借乐观的愿景和出色的沟通技巧——即便是在敌对环境中——赢得了爱荷华州党团会议（caucus）。
He ran for president in 2020 as a small-town mayor and won the Iowa caucus by offering an optimistic vision and impressing voters with his communication skills — including in hostile environments.
推动新闻：2025年初，包括纽约州参议员查克·舒默和前密歇根州参议员黛比·斯塔贝诺在内的民主党立法者和策略人士敦促布蒂吉格——他当时已搬到密歇根州——在新州参选。
Driving the news: In early 2025, Democratic lawmakers and strategists including New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and former Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow urged Buttigieg — who had moved to Michigan — to run for office in his new state.
他们主张，赢得这样的职位将有助于布蒂吉格为未来的白宫竞选积累简历，并让他有机会与不受欢迎的拜登政府划清界限。
Winning such an office, they argued, would help Buttigieg build his resume for a future White House run and give him a chance to distance himself from the unpopular Biden administration.
但布蒂吉格婉拒，理由是他希望能多在家陪伴丈夫和年幼的双胞胎，并且认为即使不进入参议院，他仍能传达自己的信息。
Buttigieg passed, citing both a desire to stay home more with his husband and young twins, and figuring that he could still get his message out without being in the Senate.
相反，他开始在民主党内部建立更广泛的全国性网络——尤其是在美国南部的黑人选民中，而在2020年民主党初选中，他曾在这些地区表现不佳。
Instead, he set about building a larger national network among Democrats — particularly with Black voters in the South, where he had struggled in the 2020 Democratic primary.
据《政治》杂志上周报道，布蒂吉格自离开拜登政府以来，已访问了37个州。
Buttigieg has traveled to 37 states since he left the Biden administration, Politico reported last week.
民主党候选人在关键的摇摆选区和州欢迎他今年来为他们竞选，同时拒绝了其他潜在总统候选人的邀请，例如前副总统卡马拉·哈里斯、纽约州众议员亚历山德拉·奥卡西奥-科尔特斯以及加州州长加文·纽森。
Democratic candidates in vital swing districts and states have welcomed him to campaign for them this year while resisting offers from other potential presidential candidates such as former Vice President Kamala Harris, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
在布蒂吉格身上，许多民主党人看到一位能够吸引关注和人群的代言人，而不会像其他著名民主党人那样招致同样的负面关注。
In Buttigieg, many Democrats see a surrogate who can draw attention and crowds without the degree of negative attention that other prominent Democrats attract.
布蒂吉格还将在11月3日大选前的最后几周参加关键竞选。他计划前往密歇根州和弗吉尼亚州——这两个州恰好将在2028年总统初选中举行早期竞赛。
Buttigieg also will campaign in key races in the final weeks before the Nov. 3 election. He's scheduled to be in Michigan and Virginia — which happen to hold early contests in the 2028 presidential primary.
言之有物：布蒂吉格一直试图把自己定位为一位既具备新一代活力，又拥有足够行政部门经验以能够履职的候选人。
Between the lines: Buttigieg has tried to position himself as a candidate of the next generation who also has enough experience in the executive branch to be able to deliver.
他正在赌：传统的竞选总统之路——先成为参议员、州长或副总统——已经不再适用，尤其是在特朗普时代之后。
He's betting that the traditional ladder of running for president — becoming a senator, governor, or vice president first — no longer applies, especially after the Trump era.
他们说：布蒂吉格“了解民主党内其他人所不知道的东西，那就是真正参选此职位是什么感觉——节奏、压力和迫切性，”奥巴马总统的前高级助理、布蒂吉格过去的外部顾问大卫· Axelrod 对 Axios 说道。
What they're saying: Buttigieg "knows what no one else on the Democratic side does, which is what it's actually like to run for this office — the pacing, the pressures and imperatives," David Axelrod, a former senior aide to President Obama and an outside adviser to Buttigieg in the past, told Axios.
“在党和国家正在寻找青年和前瞻性愿景的时候，他有能力以有力的方式阐述这种愿景，”Axelrod 补充道。
"At a time when the party and country will be searching for youth and forward-looking vision, he has the capacity to articulate one in a powerful way," Axelrod added.
Axelrod 表示，如果布蒂吉格参选，“那是因为他觉得时机已经成熟，适合像他这样的人选，而且更大的使命感比他之前放弃的州级竞选更具吸引力。”
Axelrod said that if Buttigieg runs, "it will be because he feels the timing is right for someone like him, and the big mission is more compelling than the statewide races on which he took a pass."
布蒂吉格的发言人表示：“当皮特决定不参加密歇根州的选举时，他承诺自己仍会全力帮助各地的候选人。他一直在这样做。”
A Buttigieg spokesperson said that "when Pete decided not to run for office in Michigan, he promised he would still get to work to help candidates everywhere. He's been doing just that."