Former U.S. Transportation Secretary and presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg announced his support for Brian Goldsmith’s state senate candidacy for California’s 24th District. Buttigieg appeared at a fundraiser for Goldsmith in Los Angeles on Nov. 5.
Buttigieg and Goldsmith’s friendship dates to their time at Harvard College in the early 2000s. Both were leaders at the Harvard Institute of Politics. Buttigieg went on to become a naval officer, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, a Democratic Party presidential candidate and the Secretary of Transportation under the Biden administration. Goldsmith, a Beverly Hills resident whose family has generational roots in the city, worked as a journalist, entrepreneur and political consultant before announcing his campaign for the district that spans Malibu, Beverly Hills and Rancho Palos Verdes.
“I am committed to going everywhere and supporting candidates and causes that I believe in—in every part of the country,” Buttigieg said. “That said, I’m not doing a lot of state senate races, especially in blue states. So, let me explain what I’m doing. First of all, I’m here for my friend … Brian is actually a true friend.”
Buttigieg recalled meeting Goldsmith for the first time at Harvard. During their first conversation, Goldsmith cited local policies in Buttigieg’s home state of Indiana—leading him to describe Goldsmith as having “a frighteningly encyclopedic knowledge of public affairs, history and politics.” He added that Goldsmith’s deep sense of concern for his community will make him an effective state senator.
“I’m convinced that our salvation will come from the bottom up, from people who are focused on solving problems,” Buttigieg said. “You can hear it in the way Brian talks. You can see it in the way that he communicates. He is focused on the basics at a time when we need to do more of that as a party and as a country. And he can connect that to the bigger picture issues that are going on and do so in a style that is not trying to drag people into our coalition, but actually welcoming people into a broader coalition.”
In tackling the needs of District 24, Goldsmith said the four focuses of his campaign are increasing affordability, tackling crime and homelessness, preparing for future issues of artificial intelligence and climate change, and fighting hate and division.
“We have to make it easier and more affordable for small businesses to survive here,” he said. “We have to make it easier and more affordable to build the infrastructure that we need in order to actually reach our clean energy goals, in order to make everyday life better for people getting from point A to B.”
Amid unprecedented attacks by the Trump administration on California—including on healthcare access, research universities, immigrant communities and international trade, Goldsmith said the most important actions will come from local leaders and state governments. Goldsmith also said that addressing climate change will help curtail natural disasters like the Palisades Fire—a wildfire that devastated parts of District 24 in January.
“We’ve got to focus less on refighting the battles of the past and more on how we prepare for the big challenges of our future,” he said. “How do we deal with disruptive technologies like AI, and quantum and automation? How do we deal with a world in which our kids are growing up with an epidemic of anxiety and depression because they’re glued to their screens? How do we deal with the costs and consequences of ignoring our climate obligations and facing increasingly disruptive events like the Palisades Fire earlier this year—that are going to come more often, not less often, and so we’ve got to be more ready for them.”
Democrats won major races across the country on Election Day, including gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia and passing Proposition 50—a congressional redesign that favors Democrats in flipping House seats in the 2026 midterm elections. Buttigieg said that having a consistent message that speaks to voters’ most urgent needs is a winning recipe for Democrats.
“The reality is, you had candidates with different styles, different ideas, but one thing in common—which is a clear, disciplined focus on the cost of living, on what people are actually worried about every day,” he said. “These campaigns met people where they were substantively and also literally, in terms of going out and finding people in different spaces—physical, geographic and digital. And I think that points a way forward.”
Goldsmith, who has also been endorsed by developer Rick Caruso, former Senator Barbara Boxer and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, said his political history makes him most equipped to represent District 24.
“I believe that I am a good fit for the district: our community supported Harris over Trump, but also supported Nathan Hochman and Prop. 36—I was on the side of the majority in each of those cases,” Goldsmith added. “I have lived in this district most of my life, and I am choosing to raise my family here. I believe I’m the right candidate in the right place at the right time.”
He also said that he hopes to meet the needs of the residents of Beverly Hills, a place he is proud to call home.
“I feel so lucky and privileged to live in Beverly Hills and believe it’s a model for effective local government,” he said. “Public services are accountable and responsive, the roads are in great condition, the schools are excellent, and our city’s government works collaboratively to get things done. If elected, of course I will continue to live and raise my family here, and I would always be responsive to the needs of our city.”
Goldsmith faces off against West Hollywood City Councilmember John Erickson and Dr. Sion Roy, the vice-chair of the Santa Monica College Board of Trustees, among other candidates in the June 2026 primary election. The two candidates with the most votes in the primary will then face each other in the November 2026 general election.
