SACRAMENTO, CA – Greek-American Lieutenant Governor of California Eleni Kounalakis endorsed Mayor Pete Buttigieg for President of the United States. A Democrat and former Ambassador to Hungary, Kounalakis was elected the first woman Lt. Governor of California in November 2018.

She told The National Herald, “I am thrilled to endorse Mayor Pete Buttigieg for President of the United States, I know that his judgement and experience are what we need in the White House at this critical time for our country. His extraordinary success running grassroots campaigns in Iowa and New Hampshire demonstrate that he has what it takes to connect with Americans and beat Donald Trump.”

Kounalakis was raised the proud daughter of an immigrant father who started out as a farmworker, and she believes in the values of hard work, education, and political activism.

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Married to veteran journalist Markos Kounalakis with whom she has two teenaged sons Neo and Eon, she told TNH in a previous interview that her family is from “outside of Tripoli, Rizes in Arcadia and my husband’s family is from Chania.”

In a blog post about the endorsement on blog4president.org, Lt. Gov. Kounalakis said, “Pete is building a coalition across the country that can unite the American people and defeat Donald Trump. 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 U.S. 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.”

Kounalakis will introduce Buttigieg at a town hall event in Sacramento on Friday, February 14 and give remarks about her endorsement, The Sacramento Bee reported, noting that it is one of five California events on the candidate’s schedule in the run-up to Super Tuesday, March 3.

More information about Mayor Pete Buttigieg is available online: peteforamerica.com.