Pete Buttigieg tapped by Biden for transportation secretary

The former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg has been tapped by Joe Biden to serve as secretary of transportation.

The president-elect’s decision comes as he rounds out his cabinet of top officials to run federal agencies. Buttigieg is one of the few white men Biden has picked to serve as a cabinet secretary.

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Biden’s decision to approach Buttigieg was confirmed to the Guardian by a source close to the mayor. Biden’s transition team declined to comment and neither the president-elect or Buttigieg said anything publicly about the appointment.

Buttigieg, 38, ran an upstart presidential campaign and proved to be a competitive candidate with a knack for building a notable warchest. After he dropped out of the Democratic primary for president, he quickly endorsed Biden.

Buttigieg’s name had floated around lists for multiple cabinet positions. He was often mentioned as a possible candidate for ambassador to the United Nations, a position that some of his supporters noted could help improve his international relations credentials and give him an opening to New York donors. But Buttigieg was passed up for Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a veteran American diplomat.

His name had been mentioned for other positions including secretary of Veterans Affairs. But Buttigieg, a navy veteran, was not interested in that job, according to multiple Democratic supporters. Buttigieg’s team has denied any report or suggestion that he turned down an offer to run that department. He had also been mentioned as a possible secretary of commerce.

Throughout his presidential campaign, Buttigieg struggled to get any traction among African American voters. He will probably face similar questions on how his tenure as mayor of South Bend affected African Americans. Still, as transportation secretary Buttigieg will be involved in a part of the Biden administration that affects African Americans across the country.

Buttigieg’s appointment was met with praise by some high-profile Democrats.

“As a former mayor, he knows the importance of investing in safer, more efficient interstate roads and bridges, and in the connections provided by a secure rail network,” New Jersey’s governor, Phil Murphy, said in a statement. “President-elect Biden has chosen the right person to lead on delivering the promise of clean energy and electric vehicles, on creating new union jobs, and on investments in environmental justice – all of which are inextricably intertwined within our transportation infrastructure.”

Sara Nelson, the president of Association of Flight Attendants-CWA International and a progressive champion, hailed Buttigieg’s appointment.

“The Association of Flight Attendant-CWA, AFL-CIO congratulates Pete Buttigieg on his nomination to be the next secretary of transportation,” Nelson said in a statement. “In Mayor Pete, the Biden/Harris administration has selected an accomplished, high-profile candidate for a department other administrations have too often treated as an afterthought. By contrast, this appointment signals immediate focus and urgency for the nation’s transportation policy and infrastructure, a welcome change for aviation workers.”