SALT LAKE CITY — Pete Buttigieg picked up another Utah endorsement, from Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, that was announced ahead of a Monday evening campaign stop in Salt Lake City by the Democratic presidential candidate.
Buttigieg, the current frontrunner in the delegate count after voting in Iowa and New Hampshire, is scheduled to hold a town hall meeting Monday at the Union Events Center, 235 N. 500 West in Salt Lake City. The event, set to start at 7 p.m., is free and open to the public.
The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is hiring staff in every state holding elections on Super Tuesday, March 3, including Utah. His Indiana-based campaign said two staffers will be in place Monday in Utah, joining some 2,000 volunteers.
Before arriving in Salt Lake City, Buttigieg is scheduled to host a town hall in Las Vegas and speak at a University of Nevada-Las Vegas Black Law Students Association forum. Nevada is the next state to vote for a Democratic presidential nominee, with early voting already underway and caucus day set for Feb. 22.
Gill said in a statement he’s backing Buttigieg because criminal justice reform is “going to take bold action at the federal level to drive change” in Utah and nationally.
“As mayor of South Bend, he never shied away from tough conversations, and as president, he’ll prioritize restorative justice to work to reduce incarceration across the United States. Pete understands the importance of belonging — he will be a president for all of us, not only those that support him,” Gill said.
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson and her father, Ted Wilson, who served as Salt Lake City mayor from 1975 to 1985, have also endorsed Buttigieg.