Biden to name Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary

Biden is expected to name former Democratic Party presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg as Secretary of Transportation, Axios reports.

Pete Buttigieg, the former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, was one of the primary contenders in the Democratic primary race in 2019 and 2020. After winning the Iowa caucus and tying for first in the New Hampshire primary, Buttigieg performed relatively poorly before dropping out of the race to endorse Joe Biden. He won 21 delegates at the convention.

During the campaign, Buttigieg supported policies such as abolishing the Electoral College, greater government environmental action, universal background checks for gun purchases, and a public option for health insurance.

Buttigieg, who is fluent in six languages, initially signaled to the Biden team that he was interested in a foreign policy position such as Ambassador to the United Nations or China. His nomination to the cabinet makes him the first openly gay person to ascend to such a position in the United States.

Despite coming in fifth place overall in the primaries, Buttigieg has still been considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, fielding a more centrist and establishment alternative to the progressive wing of the party characterized by other former candidates such as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who placed in second and third respectively.

Buttigieg, an army veteran and former business consultant, has been criticized by more progressive elements of the party for his perceived centrism and establishment-oriented politics. Some so-called queer activists have criticized him as being too "culturally heterosexual," as opposed to the more radical elements of the progressive movement who view the transgression of social norms to be a key part of gay identity. His appointment to the Biden cabinet is likely to further cement such views.