Joe Biden will nominate former rival Pete Buttigieg for Transportation Secretary, according to multiple reports.
Buttigieg ran for president against Biden in the Democratic primaries, and was formerly the mayor of South Bend, Ind. Initially, Biden’s team floated Buttigieg as a potential ambassador to China, before apparently settling on the post of Transportation Secretary.
Buttigieg emerged as the winner of the 2020 Iowa caucuses, but failed to gain traction as the primaries continued. Biden has praised Buttigieg and even compared the former mayor to his late son Beau.
“I know that may not mean much to most people, but to me it’s the highest compliment I can give any man or woman,” Biden said in March.
While heading the Transportation Department could be a relatively low-profile post, one transportation lobbyist told Politico that Buttigieg could use the post to expand his connections.
“There would be countless groundbreakings, particularly if there’s a stimulus package put together,” the lobbyist said. “And it isn’t that controversial so in theory you won’t make many enemies like you might at OMB or in some foreign affairs role.”
Biden has already unveiled a number of other cabinet picks, including California attorney general Xavier Becerra for Health Secretary, former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice for domestic policy adviser, and retired general Lloyd Austin for Secretary of Defense.
Biden’s cabinet draws on various officials from the Obama-Biden administration, including Jake Sullivan, a longtime aide to Hillary Clinton, and Antony Blinken, a former deputy secretary of state.