Potential Running Mate for Kamala Harris

New Delhi:

Joe Biden on Sunday announced his decision to withdraw from the US Presidential race and endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. And now the next question on everyone’s mind is, “Who will be Kamala Harris’ running mate?”

Pete Buttigieg, the US Secretary of Transportation, is said to be one of the front-runners to become Kamala Harris’ deputy, should she get elected to the White House come November 5.

Here are five key facts about Pete Buttigieg

1. Born on January 19, 1982, he is the son of Joseph Buttigieg, who immigrated to the US from Malta, and Jennifer Anne Montgomery. Pete Buttigieg is a graduate of Harvard College as well as the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He has completed a degree in philosophy, politics, and economics.

2. Pete Buttigieg earlier served as an officer in the US Navy Reserve between 2009 and 2017. He was reportedly deployed to the war in Afghanistan for around seven months in 2014. 

3. Pete Buttigieg earlier made history as the first openly gay Cabinet member after President Biden brought him into the administration as Transportation Secretary. He is married to Chasten Buttigieg, an American teacher, author and activist. The couple have two children.

4. Currently serving as the 19th Secretary of Transportation, after being sworn in on February 3, 2021, Buttigieg was earlier the mayor of his hometown, South Bend, Indiana for two terms (2012-2020). His efforts led to an increase in household income, while the poverty rate came down and unemployment was reportedly cut in half in the region. 

5. Popularly known as ‘Mayor Pete,’ Buttigieg rose to prominence when he ran in the 2020 presidential race. However, he soon dropped out of the Democratic race and ended his roller-coaster campaign. This time, Buttigieg has extended full support to Kamala Harris for the presidential race and said that he “will do all that I can to help elect Kamala Harris the next President of the United States.”