Pete Buttigieg, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender, is stepping in with endorsements of two Tampa Bay congressional candidates hoping to unseat Republican incumbents.

Buttigieg is backing retired Army Brig. Gen. Leela Gray in her campaign for Congressional District 13, which includes parts of Pinellas and Pasco counties and is held by Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna. Gray is the front-runner in the Democratic primary.

Buttigieg also announced he’s endorsing former Air Force Col. Darren McAuley in his race to challenge GOP Rep. Gus Bilirakis for Florida’s 12th Congressional District, which spans parts of Hillsborough and Pasco counties.

The endorsements are Buttigieg’s first in Florida this election cycle and come less than two weeks ahead of his keynote speech at the Florida Democratic Party’s Leadership Blue 2026 conference in Orlando.

Buttigieg, who was the transportation secretary during the Biden administration, has been traveling the country, endorsing Democratic candidates in competitive districts.

In a statement announcing his Tampa Bay endorsements, he touted Gray’s and McAuley’s military experience. (Buttigieg served in the U.S. Navy Reserve and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2014 while serving as mayor of South Bend, Indiana.)

He also played up Americans’ affordability concerns — a top issue on the campaign trail this year.

“Growing up on food stamps, working two jobs to put herself through college, and serving for more than thirty years in the U.S. Army, Leela Gray knows how to work hard,” Buttigieg said in a statement to the Times. “She also knows that high prices have made it so that hard work is not always enough.”

“Darren is willing to work with anyone to address the issues facing those in Florida: to drive down costs and make healthcare more affordable and accessible, to fund Social Security and the VA, and to keep communities safe and secure from hurricanes, enemies abroad, and everything in between,” Buttigieg said.

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