Pete Buttigieg reportedly joins Joe Biden presidential transition team

Corrections and clarifications: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described a distinction of Pete Buttigieg’s presidential candidacy. He was the first openly gay Democrat to run for president.

Former presidential candidate and mayor of South Bend Pete Buttigieg joined Democratic nominee Joe Biden's presidential transition team, according to reports by CNN, Bloomberg, and other media outlets.

IndyStar could not immediately reach Buttigieg for comment Sunday night.   

An Afghanistan war veteran, Buttigieg would serve in a 15-person advisory board alongside former national security adviser Susan Rice; Vivek Murthy, the US surgeon general under former President Barack Obama, and Sally Yates, former deputy attorney general, among others.

On Thursday Biden signed a memorandum of understanding with President Donald Trump’s General Services Administration to begin planning for a potential handover of power should Biden win the November election.

The document is required under the Presidential Transition Act and formalizes how the federal government will go about assisting Biden’s transition team ahead of Election Day.

"We are preparing for this transition amid the backdrop of a global health crisis and a 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," former Delaware Sen. Ted Kaufman and Biden's transition team co-chair said in a statement to CNN.

"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."

The former mayor of South Bend was the first openly gay Democrat to run for president. He ended his bid for president in March and endorsed Biden.

Buttigieg has since campaigned alongside his husband Chasten Buttigieg and held multiple fundraisers for Joe Biden.  

Last month, Buttigieg received a prime speaking spot for the four-day  Democratic National Convention. 

His speech came shortly before Biden's appearance, in the convention’s final hour, and followed speakers that included California Gov. Gavin Newsom, entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, among others, USA Today reported.

IndyStar reporter Natalia Contreras can be reached at 317-444-6187 or natalia.contreras@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter, @NataliaECG.