Is Mayor Pete too young to be president?

Buttigieg has plenty of experience, it's just of a different sort. For one thing, he served his country in uniform, which imparts valuable wisdom, insight and perspective that is hard to gain elsewhere.

February 25, 2020 - 10:03 AM

This combination photo taken on Jan. 26 shows, at left, former South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg in Des Moines, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in Sioux City, Iowa. The two are candidates for the Democratic nomination for president. At age 38, Buttigieg is almost half the age of Sanders. Courtesy photo

Is Mayor Pete Buttigieg too young to be president? Our nation’s founders didn’t think so; among the few limitations they applied to presidential aspirants was a minimum age of 35.

Nevertheless, at 38, the mayor stands out among the prominent Democratic candidates, that is, Buttigieg and the five others who participated in the debate last week in Las Vegas. Their ages are 78, 78, 77, 70 and 59. No wonder Buttigieg looks so young.

But generally Buttigieg’s competitors for the nomination don’t criticize him for his age as much as for his lack of experience. It’s easy to dismiss his only political experience: eight years as mayor of South Bend, Ind., a city of barely 100,000 residents.

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