Mayor and 2020 hopeful Pete Buttigieg is making inroads into the New York donor circuit as he prepares to attend a campaign fundraiser hosted by Broadway executive Jordan Roth.
Roth, and his husband, Richie Jackson, who is a movie producer, will be holding a reception for the South Bend, Indiana mayor with suggested contributions from $250 to $2,800, according to an invite first obtained by CNBC.
Roth is the president and majority owner of Jujacmyn Theaters, which has presented a litany of award-winning Broadway shows including “The Book of Mormon” and “Springsteen on Broadway.” He’s also the son of billionaire and real estate titan Steven Roth, who, according Forbes, has a net-worth of $1.1 billion.
The elder Roth, however, is a staunch supporter of Republican causes. He recently invested $100,000 into President Donald Trump’s joint fundraising committee, Trump Victory and the same amount toward former House Speaker Paul Ryan’s organization, Team Ryan.
For Buttigieg, an openly gay candidate for president and Afghanistan War veteran, the fundraiser represents a sign that he is making traction with donors and voters alike.
In a recent Emerson poll, the South Bend mayor picked up 11 percent of the vote in the early caucus state of Iowa. Nationally, Buttigieg has totaled 2 percent of the vote from Democratic primary voters, according to data compiled by Morning Consult. Notably, Buttigieg tied in that same poll with Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
A spokeswoman for Buttigieg did not return a request for comment. Roth did not return an email seeking comment.