Pete Buttigieg

Pete Buttigieg
Official portrait, 2022
19th United States Secretary of Transportation
Assumed office
February 3, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
DeputyPolly Trottenberg
Preceded byElaine Chao
32nd Mayor of South Bend
In office
January 1, 2012 – January 1, 2020
Preceded bySteve Luecke
Succeeded byJames Mueller
Personal details
Born
Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg

(1982-01-19) January 19, 1982 (age 42)
South Bend, Indiana, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
(m. 2018)
Children2
Parent(s)Joseph Buttigieg
Anne Montgomery
EducationHarvard University (BA)
Pembroke College, Oxford (BA)
Signature
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
Service years2009–2017
Rank Lieutenant
UnitUnited States Navy Reserve
Battles/warsWar in Afghanistan
AwardsJoint Service Commendation Medal

Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg (/ˈbtɪə/ BOO-tij-əj;[a] born January 19, 1982) is an American politician and former naval officer who is serving as the 19th United States Secretary of Transportation. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 32nd mayor of South Bend, Indiana, from 2012 to 2020, which earned him the nickname "Mayor Pete".

Buttigieg is a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Oxford, attending the latter on a Rhodes Scholarship. In 2007, he began three years of work at the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company. From 2009 to 2017, he was an intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserve, attaining the rank of lieutenant. He was mobilized and deployed to the War in Afghanistan for seven months in 2014. Before being elected as mayor of South Bend in 2011, Buttigieg worked on the political campaigns of Democrats Jill Long Thompson, Joe Donnelly, and John Kerry, and ran unsuccessfully as the Democratic nominee for Indiana State Treasurer in 2010. While serving as South Bend's mayor, Buttigieg came out as gay in 2015. He married Chasten Glezman, a schoolteacher and writer, in June 2018. Buttigieg declined to seek a third term as mayor.

Buttigieg ran in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, launching his campaign for the 2020 presidential election on April 14, 2019. He became one of the first openly gay men to launch a major party presidential campaign.[b] Despite initially low expectations, he gained significant momentum in mid-2019 when he participated in several town hall meetings and television debates. Buttigieg narrowly won the Iowa caucuses and placed a close second in the New Hampshire primary.[4][5][6] By winning Iowa, he became the first openly gay candidate to win a presidential primary or caucus. Buttigieg dropped out of the race on March 1, 2020, and endorsed Joe Biden the following day.

President-elect Biden named Buttigieg as his nominee for Secretary of Transportation in December 2020. His nomination was confirmed on February 2, 2021, by a vote of 86–13, making him the first openly gay Cabinet secretary in U.S. history.[c] Nominated at age 38, he is also the youngest Cabinet member in the Biden administration and the youngest person ever to serve as Secretary of Transportation. Press reports had mentioned Buttigieg as a possible running mate for Kamala Harris upon the start of her 2024 presidential campaign,[9][10] though he was ultimately not selected.[11]

  1. ^ Stracqualursi, Veronica (January 23, 2019). "How to pronounce Pete Buttigieg". CNN Politics. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  2. ^ Aggeler, Madeleine (March 25, 2019). "Wait, Sorry, How Do You Pronounce Buttigieg?". The Cut. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  3. ^ Munoz, Anabel (June 19, 2019). "Fred Karger, 1st openly gay presidential candidate, shares support for Pete Buttigieg". KABC-TV. ABC, Inc. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  4. ^ Astor, Maggie; Stevens, Matt (February 1, 2020). "How Will the Winner of the Iowa Caucuses Be Chosen? Here's What You Should Know". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  5. ^ Nilsen, Ella (February 11, 2020). "Bernie Sanders just won the all-important New Hampshire primary". Vox. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  6. ^ Haltiwanger, John; Hickey, Walt (February 7, 2020). "Why Bernie Sanders won Iowa's popular vote, but Pete Buttigieg may win the state's Electoral College". Business Insider Australia. Archived from the original on February 21, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  7. ^ Hebb, Gina (February 2, 2021). "Pete Buttigieg makes history as 1st openly gay Cabinet member confirmed by Senate". ABC News. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  8. ^ Magni G, Reynolds A. Candidate Identity and Campaign Priming: Analyzing Voter Support for Pete Buttigieg’s Presidential Run as an Openly Gay Man. Polit Res Q. 2024;77(1):184-98 doi: 10.1177/10659129231194325.
  9. ^ Wren, Adam; Cadelago, Christopher (July 28, 2024). "'We all realize it's unlikely.' But Pete Buttigieg's VP stock is rising". Politico. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  10. ^ Schleifer, Theodore (July 30, 2024). "Could Buttigieg Be Harris's V.P. Pick? His Donors Hope So". The New York Times. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  11. ^ "Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg linked to running mate search". July 24, 2024.


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