Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg is the frontrunner to be Joe Biden's Transportation secretary, CNN reported on Sunday.
Multiple sources connected to Biden’s transition team say there are several others in the running for the position, including former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo.
Many top Democrats contend that Biden, who has long praised Buttigieg, wants to appoint him to a major post in order to to give a spotlight to someone seen as a rising star in the party.
Buttigieg, who ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, has also been rumored to be a contender for several other positions in the Biden administration, including United Nations ambassador, secretary of Veterans Affairs, and Commerce secretary, although the latter is the only post among those three still available.
If he were to become Transportation secretary, Buttigieg would be the first ever LGBTQ Cabinet member to be approved by the Senate.
The Hill reported that speculation about Buttigieg comes as the Asian American community is urging Biden to nominate California’s Transportation Secretary David Kim to fill the post.
The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus emphasized that it would be “unacceptable” if Biden fails to select an Asian American and Pacific Islander for a position in the Cabinet, as it would be the first time that has happened since Clinton was president.
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Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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