Why Would Pete Buttigieg Want to Be Transportation Secretary?
By: Liz Vincento
Tags: Politics, Biden Administration, Pete Buttigieg, Perspective, United States

Why Would Pete Buttigieg Want to Be Transportation Secretary?

President-Elect Joe Biden nominated Pete Buttigieg to serve a the Secretary of Transportation, an unlikely role for someone with political ambitions.

Joe Biden named mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg, to be the next Secretary of Transportation. Pete Buttigieg, an early front-runner in the 2020 democratic presidential primary and later key surrogate to the Biden campaign, has had his name swung around different circles for a wide variety of positions from Ambassador to the United Nations, Secretary of Veteran Affairs, Ambassador to China, to Secretary of Commerce.

His eligibility for a wide array of positions speaks to Mayor Pete’s, as he is affectionately called, diversity of talents and strengths. He is a gay, multi-lingual man who grew up in South Bend, Indiana, graduated from Harvard, became a Rhodes Scholar, a veteran, former McKinsey consultant, former local official, and winner of the 2020 Iowa democratic caucuses. He also gained further notoriety throughout the Biden-Harris presidential campaign for being able to politely and conversationally “tell it like it is” on conservative networks like Fox.

Mayor Pete’s knowledge, experience, and loyalty to the Biden campaign made him a shoo-in for a Cabinet position, but why transportation? The Department of Transportation has historically not been one of the more widely admired positions. I suspect most people could not name the current Secretary. (Secretary Elaine Chao, who is also married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell)

During his acceptance speech for the nomination, Mayor Pete speaks to a personal love of the transportation industry from traveling home from college on Amtrak, spending a spring break trip on a cargo ship, and even proposing to his husband, Chasten Buttigieg in the Chicago O’Hare airport.

Alone, certainly none of these experiences would qualify a person to be Secretary of Transportation. But Mayor Pete also spoke about his support for the Obama-Biden administration’s plan to rescue the auto industry and his involvement in developing infrastructure as mayor of a city recovering from the 2008 recession.

Aside the Pete’s affection for transportation, his political ambitions will not be dulled in this role. The Secretary of Transportation will be responsible for implementing Biden’s monumental infrastructure project. Implementation of the project will include expertise in climate and economic policy, Covid-relief, environmental justice and working closely with Congress and the states.

Joe Biden’s Build Back Better plan ensures that — coming out of this profound public health and economic crisis, and facing the persistent climate crisis — we are never caught flat-footed again. He will launch a national effort aimed at creating the jobs we need to build a modern, sustainable infrastructure now and deliver an equitable clean energy future.

Pulling this off would gain Pete a huge amount of political capital. Issues like infrastructure development poll incredibly well with voters across the political aisle and a win here could be a campaign platform down the line. It would also give Pete the ability to flex his capacity to work with Republicans at both the state and federal level in passing and executing this project.

He is also incredibly smart, a great communicator, an experienced manager, and an overall political wonk. His limited experienced in transportation at the federal level could very well be overcome through effective leadership. It is also likely that the Biden team will not let him dwindle in the background. As one of the known great communicators in Biden’s cabinet with a huge policy platform to fulfill, we may be hearing much more from Transportation Secretary than in previous administrations.

Notably, Biden had previously attacked Buttigieg for his inexperience while the two were campaigning against one another for the Democratic primary presidential nomination. However, their days as competitors are long behind them. Buttigieg dropped out of the 2020 primary race just before Super Tuesday and was quick to announce his backing of now President-Elect Joe Biden. Since then he has served the Biden-Harris administration well, repeatedly appearing on otherwise hostile networks as a “likable but lethal” surrogate.

While on its face, a Transportation Secretary nomination may seem like a way to quell Mayor Pete into the backdrop, it may actually be an attempt to propel him forward for a future run for office.