A bold vision of America’s future from one of the nation’s leading voices—former mayor, Secretary of Transportation, and bestselling author Pete Buttigieg.

Most Americans want dramatic change in our country. In Next, Pete Buttigieg makes the urgent case for seizing the current moment as a chance to deliver deep and lasting improvements the American people demand. Building on the Democrats’ 2026 midterm victories and the principles that galvanized his improbable 2020 campaign, Pete lays out a vision for addressing the profound challenges facing our country today.

Widely regarded as one of the most persuasive communicators of his generation, Buttigieg demonstrates his ability to connect across the political spectrum with a case for transforming our politics in ways that would lead to a better everyday life in America. In these pages, he offers a path forward rooted in democratic ideals, common ground across ideological chasms, and a reclaimed moral vocabulary of freedom, faith, and patriotism.

He lays out “big swings” needed to address our country’s problems: meaningful reforms to government, constitutional amendments, a rethinking of the Supreme Court and Congress, even a politics beyond the two-party system. He invites readers to imagine a Project 2050, bridging long-term goals with immediate actions.

Drawing on history, philosophy, and his own experience as a mayor and as US Secretary of Transportation, he offers a renewed account of the American dream, with higher standards of living and more attention to a resource our political leaders rarely discuss—our time.

This book asks you to consider problems, patterns, and ideas that will extend well beyond any one election cycle or campaign for office. No matter who the next American president will be, if you are reading Next, you are holding our nation’s future in your hands.