Who is Pete Buttigieg?

(NewsNation) — Following President Joe Biden’s stepping out of the presidential race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, Democrats are looking into potential vice presidents to join the ticket if Harris secures the nomination.

One of the top names is Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. Buttigieg rose to prominence when he ran against Biden in the 2020 presidential race.

Buttigieg is 42 years old, which would stand out on the ticket following much debate over whether the two major candidates were too old to run and former President Donald Trump selecting 39-year-old Sen. J D Vance as his running mate.

Pete Buttigieg, U.S. secretary of transportation, speaks during a news conference. — Pete Buttigieg, US secretary of transportation, speaks during a news conference in Long Beach, California, US, on Thursday, July 18, 2024. The Pier B on-dock rail project, which is expected to be the largest rail facility of any port in the US, will serve the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. Photographer: Tim Rue/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Buttigieg’s political history

Buttigieg served as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, from 2012 to 2020 until his 2020 presidential campaign. Buttigieg was also an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve from 2009 to 2017 and was deployed to the war in Afghanistan for seven months in 2014.

While he was the mayor of South Bend, Buttigieg launched an initiative to repair or demolish 1,000 abandoned homes in 1,000 days. He also pushed for an identification card program designed to help those without identifications, like undocumented immigrants, get access to social services.

Buttigieg also pushed for a program called “Smart Streets” to make South Bend more pedestrian-friendly and slow down the speed limits, which was nationally recognized when he was given an award for innovative streetscape design from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

In 2020, Biden announced that he would appoint Buttigieg as his secretary of transportation, and he was confirmed in February 2021. Buttigieg is the first out gay cabinet member.

Buttigieg’s political views

As secretary of transportation, Buttigieg has prioritized passing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and supporting supply chains affected by COVID-19. Here’s where he stands on the issues:

Thinks the federal government should protect reproductive freedom.
Supports a ban on assault weapons and universal background checks.
Wants to focus on opioid treatment options
Says decriminalizing border crossings will end child separation
Has said he’d consider higher income tax rates for top brackets

FILE - Vice President Kamala Harris, right, next to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, speaks during a plenary session of the US-ASEAN Summit, May 13, 2022, at the State Department in Washington. Harris is visiting Indonesia this week for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) — FILE – Vice President Kamala Harris, right, next to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, speaks during a plenary session of the US-ASEAN Summit, May 13, 2022, at the State Department in Washington. Harris is visiting Indonesia this week for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Buttigieg’s relationship with Biden, Harris

After running against both Biden and Harris during the 2020 presidential race, Buttigieg has publicly supported both of them.

After Biden announced he’d be stepping out of the race, Buttigieg said that Biden is one of the best and most consequential presidents in American history.

“I am so proud to serve under his leadership, and thankful for his unwavering focus on what is best for our country,” he said in a statement on X.

After Harris was selected as Biden’s vice president, Buttigieg helped her to prepare for her debate against Mike Pence in 2020. Buttigieg said he was excited to be a part of the Biden-Harris administration.

Following Biden’s announcement, Buttigieg endorsed Harris as the 2024 nominee, saying she was the right person to defeat Trump.

“I have seen her extraordinary leadership firsthand, working closely with her during the 2020 campaign and then in the historically effective Biden-Harris administration. I will do all that I can to help her win this election to lead America forward as our next President,” Buttigieg said.

Buttigieg’s controversies

When he was mayor of South Bend, Buttigieg came under fire for demoting a police chief, Darryl Boykins, after a federal investigation ruled that South Bend police had illegally recorded telephone calls of several officers.

When Buttigieg denied Boykins’ request for reinstatement, Boykins, the city’s first African American police chief, sued the city for racial discrimination.

Buttigieg has also faced other criticisms concerning race, and an analysis by the AP found that more than three-quarters of the people Buttigieg hired during his tenure as mayor were white, even though South Bend’s population was 53% non-Hispanic white and more than a quarter black.

In his role as secretary of transportation, Buttigieg has said that he wants to fight racial and economic justice with transportation policy.

Buttigieg also faced criticism from both sides of the aisle for his handling of a 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.