Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s response to a toxic chemical spill after a train derailment has put the former small-town mayor into the harsh spotlight once reserved for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Buttigieg is seen as a top Democratic prospect, swiping a top Harris backer in her home state of California during the 2020 race who began supporting the former two-time South Bend mayor as well.
“The most important job of anyone in the administration is to look out for the big boss, at whose pleasure they serve. Sometimes that entails ‘feel good’ assignments like ribbon cuttings and handing out giant checks in swing states, but most of the time it means taking flak to protect [President Joe Biden],” said a top Democratic campaign strategist. “You have to put your personal ambitions aside, bite the proverbial bullet, and do the job you signed up for.
Poised to hand out billions of dollars in federal funding, Buttigieg earned plaudits after Democrats passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. The transportation secretary hit the campaign trail and handed out millions in federal dollars to early state leaders for infrastructure projects.Now the tide for Harris may be turning.
Last year, Buttigieg quietly went on paid paternity leave for months as a supply chain crisis led to bottlenecks and price hikes. While Buttigieg claimed he was “available 24/7,” emails obtained by the watchdog Protect the Public’s Trust and shared with the Washington Examiner last month showed that he dodged a meeting request from a top Republican senator due to his leave status.
Buttigieg was in Michigan, an electoral battleground, attending the Detroit Auto Show and an awards dinner as then-Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said his team spent “20 consecutive hours” in tense negotiations to avert a freight-rail strike. Assurances that Biden will seek reelection in 2024 with Harris at his side have done little to silence speculation among Democrats over his potential successor.
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