President-elect Joe Biden is
considering a high-level ambassadorship for Pete Buttigieg, the
openly gay former mayor of South Bend, Indiana.
According to Axios, Buttigieg was a top
contender for the role of ambassador to the United Nations, which he
was passed over for, but is a leading contender for the China post.
Buttigieg competed against Biden for
the Democratic Party presidential nomination and briefly was leading
in the contest. A stint as ambassador in Beijing would help Buttigieg
in a possible future presidential run.
Axios reported that Buttigieg, an
Afghanistan war veteran, was also being considered for some domestic
leadership positions.
After he ended his presidential
campaign, Buttigieg joined the Biden campaign, becoming one of the
president-elect's top surrogates.
Buttigieg won a second term as mayor
after announcing he's gay. In 2018, he married Chasten Buttigieg, who
frequently joined him on the campaign trail.