Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from Allie Bice. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Max The shortest way home for PETE BUTTIGIEG now is a flight to Michigan. The Transportation secretary and former South Bend mayor has changed his residency from Indiana to the Wolverine State, where he plans to vote this fall, a spokesperson confirmed. Buttigieg’s move was for family reasons, specifically, his husband’s family, a Department of Transportation spokesperson said. “Moving to Chasten’s hometown of Traverse City allowed them to be closer to his parents, which became especially important to them after they adopted their twins, often relying on Chasten’s parents for help with child care,” the person said. But the move also has another significant benefit. With two Democratic senators and a Democratic governor, Michigan is a much more hospitable state for a fellow Democrat with political ambitions. It’s also in the running to replace Iowa as the first presidential nominating contest. Buttigieg has been grip-and-grinning the state’s politicos as well, visiting the annual Mackinac Policy Conference in recent weeks. Regardless of his motivations, Buttigieg and his allies have made a number of moves that better position the secretary for his political future. This month his former political action committee, Win The Era, began the process of endorsing and giving resources to candidates for the midterms. The PAC’s executive director organized a campaign reunion with Buttigieg and former staffers in March at metrobar in Washington. “The Secretary attended the event in his personal capacity,” a Department of Transportation (DOT) spokesperson said. While Buttigieg stepped down from the PAC when he joined the administration, it has the email list and other assets that he’d likely carry into any future campaign. Buttigieg also attended a Democratic National Committee’s LGBTQ gala in New York City last Monday. Afterward, he and husband Chasten grabbed drinks with one of his 2020 campaign’s top political aides, LIS SMITH, and Michigan state Sen. MALLORY McMORROW, who has emerged as an up-and-coming party star. The White House said it had asked Buttigieg to attend the DNC events. One of Buttigieg’s top campaign officials, MICHAEL HALLE, is now a senior adviser at DOT. The secretary also joined the Rev. JESSE JACKSON for the 56th annual international convention of his Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Buttigieg has embraced the administration’s focus on equity and has made an effort to build more bridges with Black communities – an effort where the administration’s priorities also overlap with a political liability for Buttigieg. At times, however, Buttigieg’s eye on the future has created complications for his day job. When Buttigieg visited New York in March, he stopped by the Transit Tech Career and Technical High School in Brooklyn, but did not alert or allow members of the transit press corps to attend. The appearance was covered exclusively by BET Online. While the secretary got positive coverage, it annoyed some members of the transit press who felt that Buttigieg’s visit to the country’s biggest transportation market should’ve been open to all media. “Secretary Buttigieg visited Transit Tech High School in New York City – which is largely made up of Black students and students of color who are learning about careers in public transit,” said a DOT spokesperson. “BET was an ideal partner to reach the students and young people that we wanted to reach.” A DOT spokesperson noted that the department regularly gives exclusives to national news outlets on site visits and inspections of major infrastructure. Buttigieg has had the enviable political opportunity of rolling out parts of the infrastructure package — which has allowed him to grow his presence on national and local television and make allies with fellow Democrats. In the final days of June, for example, he traveled to Birmingham, Ala., to announce a $1 billion pilot program intended to reconnect communities and funded from the bipartisan infrastructure law. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) appeared with Buttigieg, and the pair had shrimp and grits and chicken and waffles with him afterward. “I think Secretary Buttigieg really has a unique perspective,” Sewell, who noted Buttigieg’s local experience, told West Wing Playbook. But Buttigieg’s political ambitions will be complicated by the recent crises over supply chains and recent air travel. Over 1,400 flights were canceled over the July 4th weekend, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware . Buttigieg has had at least one of his own flights canceled. As the airline cancellations grew messier last month, the secretary took a weeklong summer vacation. Buttigieg is also now caught in a cycle of finger-pointing. Airline interest groups are blaming the Federal Aviation Administration, Buttigieg argues that the airlines should be doing better after receiving billions of dollars during the pandemic, and progressives like Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.) are pushing Buttigieg to impose large fines on the airlines for the delays. Despite all the moves, Buttigieg confidants are quick to play down the idea he's using his DOT position as part of a shadow campaign. “If that’s what he was doing, he’d be running a shit shadow campaign,” HARI SEVUGAN , Buttigieg's former deputy campaign manager, told West Wing Playbook. "He’s touring Alabama media markets and is tweeting about airline mile reimbursements. Not high on the list of plays you’d call if you want to run as the Dem nominee.” TEXT US — Are you LYNDA TRAN, the director of public engagement and senior advisor at DOT? We want to hear from you! And we’ll keep you anonymous if you’d like. Or if you think we missed something in today’s edition, let us know and we may include it tomorrow. Email us at westwingtips@politico.com or you can text/Signal/Wickr Alex at 8183240098.
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