U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg takes the DNC stage Wednesday evening. He was one of President Joe Biden’s most visible Democratic campaign surrogates for before. He’s now playing a similar role for Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.
He is scheduled to speak shortly after 9 p.m., taking the stage after Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.
The former mayor of South Bend — a blue dot in red state Indiana — is known for his regular appearances on Fox News. Asked by Jon Stewart last month why he frequents the right-leaning network, he said, “What’s the point of having a conversation if you’re not speaking to people who don’t already agree with you?”
A Rhodes scholar and Navy Reservist who deployed during the war in Afghanistan, Buttigieg mounted what was considered a long-shot presidential bid in 2020. He rose to national prominence after narrowly winning the Iowa caucuses, but dropped out after the South Carolina primary and endorsed President Biden.
Buttigieg would go on to serve on Biden’s transition and then Biden selected Buttigieg to join his cabinet as transportation secretary. He is one of the party’s most prominent and highest-ranking LGBTQ+ elected officials.