Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg, known to supporters as Mayor Pete, is the latest presidential hopeful to announce a visit to Utah.
Campaigners for the 38-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, said he will come to Salt Lake City for a Feb. 17 town hall. That 7 p.m. event is free and open to the public, at a yet-to-be named location.
The town hall will be followed the next day by a two-hour fundraising breakfast, with that location also to be determined.
Donors buying seats at the fundraiser’s top prices of $1,500 and $2,800 will be able to meet Buttigieg in person, according to an invitation to the 8:30 a.m. event. The smallest donation permitted for the breakfast was $54; those seats were already sold out as of Jan. 23.
The announcement follows a visit to Salt Lake City on Jan. 22 by Chasten Buttigieg, the candidate’s husband, for an evening gathering that was closed to members of the media.
Recent polls have consistently ranked Pete Buttigieg, a Harvard graduate and former U.S. Navy intelligence officer, among the top five candidates currently vying for the Democratic ticket.
“This campaign is all about meeting as many supporters as we can where we can, and we’re thrilled to be joining our community in Utah,” Adia Smith Parker, Buttigieg’s director of investment for the Western region, wrote to invitees.
Utah is among 15 states and American Samoa that will cast presidential primary ballots on Super Tuesday, March 3, when nearly 40% of Democratic delegates will be chosen.
Michael Bloomberg, the 77-year-old multibillionaire former mayor of New York City, came to Salt Lake City earlier this month, meeting with hundreds of supporters at a downtown venue. Former Vice President Joe Biden held a private fundraiser in Park City in September, and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren came to the Beehive state in April.
Follow @tonysemerad