Pete Buttigieg described politics as a 'sexy challenge' in resurfaced newspaper interview

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg was recently confronted about an interview he did at the age of 18 in which he calls politics a "sexy challenge" that he thought he would be able to "pull off."
(AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg was recently quizzed about an interview he gave at the age of 18 in which he described running for office as a "sexy challenge."

The comments, which were printed in the mayor's local newspaper nearly 20 years ago, were raised anew by Martha Raddatz of ABC News, who laughed along with Buttigieg about the quotes.

"I think I could pull it off, it's a tremendous challenge, a kind of sexy challenge but I want to give it a try," Raddatz quoted Buttigieg as saying in the newspaper article.

"Seems like you knew you were going to do this your whole life," she continued, turning away from the old quotes to offer up a current-day comment.

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"I was always interested in public service," Buttigieg responded. "What I would not have guessed at the age of 18 was how much I would find purpose and meaning in local work."

In response to pressing by Raddatz regarding whether he considered his political career to be a "sexy challenge," he said, "In a way."

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"If you're a curious person, there's nothing like it," he continued.

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Buttigieg, who is an openly gay Afghanistan War veteran, entered the political sphere in 2011 when he was first elected Mayor of South Bend. The 37-year-old recently hosted a town hall with Fox News, during which time he discussed his progressive platforms on numerous issues, including abortion.

In his interview with Raddatz, he appeared to address critics who highlight his young age and comparatively few years of political experience.

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"What I see now, there's a new generation of leaders stepping up from France to New Zealand you see people who are the same age or younger than I would be on inauguration day," he said.

"To me, that's the kind of trend America should be leading, not catching up to."