Joe Biden to nominate Pete Buttigieg for transportation secretary
Dec 15, 2020
Washington [US], December 16 : US President-elect Joe Biden will be nominating Pete Buttigieg to be his transportation secretary, thus, having the first openly gay Cabinet secretary if confirmed by the Senate.
Citing sources, CNN reported Biden will nominate Pete Buttigieg to be his transportation secretary, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN, elevating the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to a top post in the federal government.
Buttigieg came out as gay in a 2015 essay for the South Bend Tribune while serving as mayor and later that year, Buttigieg won reelection, CNN said.
He had endorsed Biden for the presidency during the Presidential election campaign, telling a crowd in Dallas that the former Vice President is the right candidate to "bring back dignity to the White House."
Buttigieg had dropped out of the Democratic presidential bid following Biden's victory in the South Carolina primary. Buttigieg officially launched his campaign in April with an event in his hometown South Bend, Indiana.
He was the first gay candidate to earn presidential primary delegates for a major party's nomination.
Other Democrats were also considered for the post, including former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, CNN reported.
On Monday, Biden bagged 306 Electoral College votes and Trump received 232. The electoral votes will be sent to the US Congress for verification at a joint session, the final stage of the election, which is scheduled for January 6.
Biden will be sworn in as the 46th US president on January 20.
