Former Mayor of South Bend Pete Buttigieg (David Cliff/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Pete Buttigieg has been tapped to serve in a key role on the presidential transition team of his former rival Joe Biden.
Biden is currently putting together a transition team, which will lay the groundwork for him to take office in January if he triumphs over Donald Trump in the 3 November election.
Buttigieg, who exploded onto the national scene before ending his pioneering bid for president back in March, has been appointed to a 15-person advisory board for Biden’s transition team.
Joe Biden hires Pete Buttigieg for transition team role.
According to CNN, other advisory board members include former national security adviser Susan Rice and former deputy attorney general Sally Yates.
Former Delaware senator Ted Kaufman, who will co-chair the transition team, said: “We are preparing for this transition amid the backdrop of a global health crisis and struggling economy. This is a transition like no other, and the team being assembled will help Joe Biden meet the urgent challenges facing our country on day one.
“The co-chairs, advisory board, and senior staff are a diverse group of experts who are committed to helping a possible Biden-Harris administration beat the public health crisis and put Americans back to work in good-paying jobs.”
Buttigieg tweeted: “The character of our country is on the ballot.”
The Indiana mayor was previously promised a key role by Biden when he dropped out in March.
Biden had said: “I did speak to Pete Buttigieg a couple of days ago to encourage him to stay engaged because he has enormous talent.
“I indicated to him that if I become the nominee, I’d come and ask him to be part of the administration, to be engaged in moving things forward.”
Former presidential candidate has been vocal in his support for Biden.
Since the election, Buttigieg has taken up an academic post at the University of Notre Dame, and has continued to stump for Biden.
Last month he gave a moving speech at the Democratic National Convention that touched on the presidential candidate’s history of supporting LGBT+ rights.
He explained: “Just over 10 years ago, I joined a military where firing me because of who I am wasn’t just possible – it was policy. Now in 2020, it is unlawful in America to fire anyone because of who they are or who they love.
“The very ring on my finger – a wedding we celebrated right where I’m standing – reflects how this country can change.
‘Love makes my marriage real, but political courage made it possible – including that of Joe Biden, who stepped out ahead of even this party when he said that marriage equality should be the law of the land.”