Pete Buttigieg (pronounced "boot edge-edge"), was once a relatively unknown figure in the national Democratic Party. When he announced his candidacy for president back in January, people had already written him off as someone who had no chance to even make a challenge for the Democratic Nomination. Now, Buttigieg has become the Democratic Party's new star.

(I mean, come on, the first thing that comes up when you search "Pete" on Google is his name, that has the mean something, right?)

Buttigieg is the first openly gay Democrat candidate for president, a Navy veteran, and was born and raised in South Bend. He comes from the middle of the country, which Democrats are looking to win so that they can take back the White House in 2020. The 34-year-old has been laying out his policies and ideas pretty clearly over the past two months. He has been on "The View" twice and even received positive feedback from the conservative Meghan McCain.

Buttigieg represents the Millennial generation. He graduated high school in 2000 and would be the youngest president ever if elected. Democrats are looking towards an outsider to defeat Trump, just like when a sizable group of Democratic voters supported Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Buttigieg has made it clear he won't back down from Trump, but he has also taken an even-keel approach to the way he campaigns. When he is speaking, he doesn't raise his voice or talk with his hands. He speaks calmly, as if to say, "if you like what I'm saying, great, and if you don't then that's alright." His policy ideas are leftist and progressive, but the way he presents them is less radical than, say, that of Bernie Sanders.

Pete Buttigieg will definitely be a name to watch next year. Will he rise to the top, or will his popularity fizzle out? We shall see. The first Democratic debates are in June — I know you're so excited to see election coverage yet again!