A group of five former ambassadors who served under former President Obama are lining up behind Pete Buttigieg, giving the South Bend, Ind., mayor a jolt of institutional fundraising support amid his meteoric rise in the Democratic presidential primary.
The Obama diplomats — Timothy Broas (Netherlands), John Phillips (Italy), Tod Sedgwick (Slovakia), David Jacobson (Canada) and Bill Eacho (Austria) — raised millions of dollars for the Obama-Biden ticket in 2008 and 2012.
The ambassadors are now planning a fundraiser for Buttigieg in Washington, D.C., in May.
Jacobson is also planning a Chicago fundraiser, putting Buttigieg’s fast-rising campaign in position to tap into Obama’s deep network of wealthy donors.
