Buttigieg calls for abolishing death penalty

Pete Buttigieg, the Democratic mayor of South Bend, Ind., and a likely 2020 presidential candidate, on Thursday called for abolishing the death penalty.

Speaking at the 2019 National Action Network Convention in New York City, Buttigieg said capital punishment “has always been a discriminatory practice.”

“As we work to end mandatory minimums for nonviolent offenses, as we work to put an end to prolonged solitary confinement, which is a form of torture, here too we must be intentional about fixing disparities that have strong and deeply unfair racial consequences,” he said while discussing criminal justice reform.

{mosads}“Speaking of sentencing disparities, it is time to face the simple fact that capital punishment as seen in America has always been a discriminatory practice and we would be a fairer and safer country when we join the ranks of modern nations who have abolished the death penalty,” he added.

Several states, including Maryland, Connecticut, Illinois and New York, have repealed capital punishment since 2007. California suspended the death penalty last month.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), a 2020 presidential candidate, praised California’s decision to do so earlier this month.

Former Colorado governor and 2020 hopeful John Hickenlooper (D) has also said that he would suspend capital punishment if elected.

Buttigieg, 37, announced a presidential exploratory committee in January and has since surged in popularity. He hinted early Thursday that he will formally declare his 2020 presidential candidacy later this month.

The National Action Network Convention this week will also feature 2020 candidates vying for the Democratic nomination, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Harris, Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) who are all slated to speak at the convention.