Pete Buttigieg, colloquially referred to as “Mayor Pete”,  previously an unknown mayor of a small Indiana city, has quickly risen to national prominence and has become a popular figure among Democrats, after his 2020 primary run for President of the United States.

Steve Laffey, the former mayor of a similarly-sized Rhode Island city, who I will nickname “Mayor Steve”, may soon be seeking to follow a similar path, when he  is scheduled to make a “major announcement” next Tuesday evening, February 7.

Laffey, a close personal friend of mine, for years has openly discussed a potential presidential run, after failed attempts to win a US Senate seat out of Rhode Island and a US Congressional seat out of Colorado, his home for the past decade or so.

Over the weekend, I received an invitation from Steve to participate in an online meeting with the title, “Important Announcement Steve Laffey.” The description states, “During this 60 minute presentation, I will be providing real solutions to the problems confronting America. During this live and interactive  presentation, I will be showing videos, taking questions and outline my plan to fix America. Looking forward to seeing you all there. Steve”

What is the BIG announcement? Is it another run for Congress? Has he joined some other presidential campaign as an advisor? Or, is he making a run himself for President?

You can find out first-hand for yourself … as the public is invited to watch Laffey’s announcement on Zoom by pre-registering here.

Before anyone scoffs at the idea, remember that stranger things have happened. Pete Buttigieg, just a few years later is US Secretary of Transportation and is now considered one of the leading contenders for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 2024, should Joe Biden not run again.

The similarities between the two should not rule out a similarly unlikely meteoric rise for Laffey.

“Mayor Pete”, has a Harvard University undergraduate degree and is a Rhodes Scholar, in addition to serving in the US Navy.

“Mayor Steve”, a Harvard Business School graduate, after attending Bowdoin College, was a highly successful business man and was the youngest-ever COO for Morgan Keegan, a major southeast US financial company.

Both were unsuccessful in high-office political campaigns following their terms as mayors, but both have pressed onward with their political ambitions.

Of course, there is one MAJOR difference. “Mayor Pete” had little credible competition in his presidential sweepstakes with light-weights such as Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and Andrew Yang and extremists like Bernie Sanders as his competitors. “Mayor Steve” will face incredibly stiff competition with heavy-weights such as Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, and Mike Pompeo has his likely opponents.

“Mayor Steve” has maintained political visibility over the years: last year, he spoke at a New York Conservative Party event and he has been a regular guest on the Jimmy Lakey podcast and on my In The Dugout with Mike Stenhouse podcast. In 2012, he released a documentary entitled “Fixing America“, which chronicled how ordinary Americans across the country felt about the economy and the obvious disconnect with with the political elite. Laffey claims that the solutions he put forth in his movie are still valid today.

I can vouch from personal experience that Laffey has been unusually accurate in his political prognostications, successfully predicting Ukrainian war, Federal Reserve timidity, and the high-inflation economy and recession that Americans are still recovering from. His anti-big-government prescriptions represent a common-sense, straight-forward, and conservative approach.

On his website, SteveLaffey.com, “Mayor Steve” does not hold back any punches and puts forth bold policy ideas, including fixing Social Security, ending trade with China, forcing out Federal Reserve board members, adopting the late Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 tax proposals, and letting parents decide when it comes to America’s “abysmal, misguided” K-12 educational system.

While winning the Republican nomination for president is a long-shot, like Buttigieg, perhaps Laffey might earn himself a cabinet appointment or other senior advisor position, if one of his fellow primary opponents goes on to the White House.

He most likely will not like the analogy, but I have also referred to Laffey as a “mini Trump”: wealthy, but not as much; equally as brash and confident; many people like his policies more than they like him; a natural showman, even if without the national TV series; and as openly disdainful of and willing to take on the corrupt, status quo “swamp”.

We’ll find out on February 7th what “Mayor Steve” is planning … you should join in. Whatever he announces, Steve Laffey is sure to put on a show.