SALT LAKE COUNTY — Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg received endorsements from two major Salt Lake County officials leading up to his visit Monday evening.
County District Attorney Sim Gill and County Mayor Jenny Wilson have endorsed Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall also gave Buttigieg her endorsement Monday night as she introduced him at his town hall event.
Gill said he endorses Buttigieg based on criminal justice reform.
“We’ve made progress towards criminal justice reform in Salt Lake County, but it’s going to take bold action at the federal level to drive change across Utah and the United States,” Gill stated. “He’ll prioritize restorative justice to work to reduce incarceration across the United States.”
According to an Associated Press report, Wilson said Buttigieg would be a unifying leader who could both energize the Democratic party’s base and attract moderates.
Wilson’s father, former Salt Lake City Mayor Ted Wilson, also said Buttigieg would be the best qualified to run the country.
Rep. Ben McAdams, however, is endorsing Mike Bloomberg, who is planning his second campaign visit to the state this week.
Bernie Sanders won the Utah Democratic caucus in 2016 against Hillary Clinton. He visited multiple times in his 2016 campaign, but he has not announced any plans to visit the state during this election cycle. Sanders' campaign has organized an event for Monday night.
Utah has 35 delegates in the Democratic primary out of the 4,750 nationwide.
