Discuss of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s political future grew louder Sunday after Vice President Kamala Harris introduced she’s operating for president.
Buttigieg, the previous mayor of South Bend, Indiana, endorsed Harris as his identify surfaced as a attainable operating mate for her.
This is what to learn about Buttigieg:
What was Pete Buttigieg’s first elected job?
Buttigieg was elected mayor of South Bend, his hometown, in 2011 at 29 years outdated. He claimed credit score for turning across the rust-belt metropolis throughout his two phrases in workplace, revitalizing the downtown, growing inhabitants and decreasing unemployment.
When did ‘Mayor Pete’ run for president?
Buttigieg ran for president in 2020 as one of many least skilled Democrats in a crowded main subject. A win on the Iowa caucuses and a second-place end on the New Hampshire main in 2019 gained the Hoosier severe momentum. His victory in Iowa made him the primary brazenly homosexual candidate to win a main or caucus.
What has Buttigieg completed as transportation secretary?
Throughout Buttigieg’s tenure as transportation secretary, the Biden administration pushed a bipartisan infrastructure invoice by means of Congress that devoted $550 billion to enhancements on roads and bridges, passenger and freight rail, public transit, and street security initiatives.
Buttigieg has grow to be a well-liked political determine on the web on account of his affiliation with new rail investments throughout the US, together with future high-speed service between Las Vegas and Los Angeles and improved and expanded Amtrak service.
Nonetheless, Republicans have additionally been fast guilty Buttigieg for transportation-related issues. His time on the division has included overseeing main disasters, together with the large Southwest Airways system failure in late 2022 and the East Palestine, Ohio, practice derailment in 2023.
How outdated is Buttigieg?
Buttigieg is 42 years outdated.
Does Buttigieg nonetheless stay in Indiana?
Buttigieg not lives in South Bend. He, husband Chasten Glezman and their two kids moved to Traverse Metropolis, Michigan, in 2022.
The place did Buttigieg go to school?
Buttigieg earned a bachelor’s diploma in historical past and literature from Harvard in 2004 and a first-class honors diploma in philosophy, politics, and economics from Pembroke Faculty, a constituent school of Oxford College in England in 2007.
Did Buttigieg serve within the navy?
He joined the U.S. Navy Reserve in 2009 as a junior officer in Naval Intelligence earlier than being elected mayor in 2011. Whereas mayor, he took a seven-month go away to deploy to Afghanistan in 2014. He was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal and left the Navy Reserve in 2017.
A earlier model of this text incorrectly recognized Chasten Glezman.
Tyler Spence is a Pulliam Fellow. He will be contacted at jspence@gannett.com