Buttigieg Campaign Press Release - Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis Endorses Pete Buttigieg for President

Lt. Governor Kounalakis is the first woman elected as Lt. Governor of California

SOUTH BEND, IN - On the heels of winning Iowa and a strong performance in New Hampshire, and ahead of Pete's trip to Sacramento, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis announced her endorsement of Pete Buttigieg for president. In her endorsement, Kounalakis touted Pete's ability to unite the country and defeat Donald Trump.

"Pete is building a coalition across the country that can unite the American people and defeat Donald Trump," said Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis. "As a mayor, a veteran, and someone who lives in a middle-class neighborhood, Pete brings the fresh perspective and new voice we need to defeat Donald Trump and rally Americans around bold solutions to move our country forward. As a former US Ambassador and national security expert, I know that Pete has what it takes to lead as Commander in Chief. I'm proud to vote for him on March 3rd and urge Californians to join me."

Pete Buttigieg will have a town hall in Sacramento on Friday where Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis will introduce Pete and give remarks about her endorsement. This kicks off a series of five trips that Pete is taking to Super Tuesday states in the next two weeks.

This endorsement comes on the heels of Pete for American ramping up staff and organizing efforts in California. The campaign was one of the first to hire a State Director in California, Cecilia Cabello, who also served as Hillary Clinton's California state director in 2016. For months in California, thousands of grassroots volunteers have been door knocking, phone banking, and recruiting more people to join the campaign.

Pete for America has statewide coverage with volunteer leaders in all of California's congressional districts. The campaign has empowered thousands of supporters, giving them the resources, materials, and training needed to organize their communities. Volunteer teams have organized on the ground for months, hosting Pete-Ups, debate watch events, phone-banked to activate supporters in their communities, led volunteer training sessions, conducted tabling and high visibility programming, and participated in days of service, among other activities.

ABOUT THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR:

Eleni Kounalakis was sworn in as the 50th Lieutenant Governor of California by Governor Gavin Newsom on January 7th, 2019. She is the first woman elected Lt. Governor of California. A native Californian, she visited each of the state's 58 counties during her historic campaign.

From 2010 to 2013, Kounalakis served as President Barack Obama's Ambassador to the Republic of Hungary. Kounalakis was the first Greek-American woman – and at age 43 one of America's youngest – to serve as U.S. Ambassador. Her highly acclaimed memoir, "Madam Ambassador, Three Years of Diplomacy, Dinner Parties and Democracy in Budapest" (The New Press, 2015), chronicles the onset of Hungary's democratic backsliding.

Governor Jerry Brown appointed Kounalakis to chair the California Advisory Council for International Trade and Investment in 2014. Kounalakis was a Virtual Fellow at the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) between 2014 and 2017, specializing in international trade and immigration. She is currently a director of the Association of American Ambassadors and a National Democratic Institute (NDI) "Ambassadors Circle" advisor.

Eleni Kounalakis graduated from Dartmouth College in 1989 and earned her Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from U.C. Berkeley's Haas School of Business in 1992. She holds an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the American College of Greece. She is married to Dr. Markos Kounalakis and the couple has two teenage sons, Neo and Eon.