Reports: Pete Buttigieg is dropping out of presidential race

Pete Buttigieg - the first openly gay candidate to run for president - is dropping out of the presidential race on Sunday, according to multiple reports.

Buttigieg told his campaign staff he would end his quest for the Democratic presidential nomination on a conference call, Politico, the New York Times and NBC News reported.

His campaign said Buttigieg will speak Sunday night in South Bend, Indiana.

The 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend made history by becoming the first openly gay candidate to earn delegates for the presidential nomination in a major political party.

Buttigieg came out after he was elected to his first term as South Bend mayor and after serving in Afghanistan. Three years after he came out publicly at 33 in 2015, Buttigieg married his husband, Chasten.

Buttigieg served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve during his time as South Bend mayor. A former Navy intelligence officer, he received the Joint Service Commendation Medal for his counterterrorism work while deployed to Afghanistan. He was one of the few military veterans in the race. 

During the campaign, Buttigieg positioned himself as a moderate alternative to progressive candidates like Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. 

Despite being the youngest candidate in the race, Buttigieg ironically struggled to connect with voters under the age of 30. 

Buttigieg launched his historic campaign on April 14, 2019 during a rally in South Bend. 

"It is time to walk away from the politics of the past and toward something that is totally different," he told the energized crowd of about 3,000 people.