Presidential Candidates Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg in the Hamptons

With the Hamptons summer winding down, the 2020 election is heating up, and presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg are hoping to catch potential donors before they fly west for the winter.

Page Six reports that California Senator Harris will attend two fundraisers on Sunday, August 18. The first is a conversation over coffee and Dreesen’s doughnuts at the home of Hollywood producer Jamie Patricof and Kelly Patricof. The second is an event at the Water Mill home of Michael and Jackie Kempner, hosted by Patricia Duff, film producer Rachel Horovitz and author Jennifer Ash Rudick.

Buttigieg, South Bend, Indiana’s openly gay mayor, has several Hamptons fundraisers to attend as well. Robert Marc and Gunnar Spaulding will host a cocktail party and discussion with Mayor Pete and Chasten Buttigieg at their East Hampton home on August 31. Insight Partners managing director Deven and Monika Parekh will host a luxurious brunch on September 1. Later that day, Buttigieg will head to the Sagaponack home of Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller and Josh Lehrer for an afternoon of family fun.

Harris and Buttigieg round out the bottom of the top five Democrats running, and while Buttigieg currently lags behind Harris he has enjoyed a rise in national polling average by 6%. By the latest numbers, Harris’ national polling average has fallen by roughly twice that amount.

National elections don’t exist in a vacuum, and the 24-hour news cycle means that the trajectory of the presidential race can change in a matter of minutes. However, in the past two presidential elections, polling information on August 2 has predicted the eventual nominations of Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. While neither candidate visiting the South Fork in the coming weeks is currently the top contender, these events provide an opportunity for East End residents to become more intimately engaged in the political process.