President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to be his transportation secretary, a person familiar with the matter said Tuesday.

Buttigieg, a former candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, is the first of Biden’s former primary opponents to get a spot in the new administration.

Buttigieg was one of the most high-profile rivals to Biden during the Democratic primaries, narrowly winning the Iowa caucuses. He later endorsed Biden after dropping out of the race.

Buttigieg would become the first openly gay member of a president’s cabinet, Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign said Tuesday. The civil rights group that focuses on LGBTQ issues has actively pushed for Buttigieg and others to be named to top posts in the Biden administration.

Buttigieg, a military veteran and Harvard University graduate, was mayor of South Bend for two terms, leaving office last January.

The secretary of transportation oversees a budget of almost US$90 billion, the majority of which pays for building roads, bridges and other highway infrastructure. The DOT also manages multiple agencies that regulate aviation, railroads, trucking and pipeline safety.

The position could be pivotal in any attempts by Biden to expand infrastructure spending, as some Democrats are seeking. The department could also play a significant role in setting rules for travel during the coronavirus pandemic and helping struggling airlines and transit systems recover from dramatic drops in passengers.

Neil Bradley, vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said on Bloomberg Television that the pick suggests that the administration will take infrastructure very seriously. Mayors have been the biggest drivers of infrastructure spending, he said.

Buttigieg received a Rhodes Scholarship to attend the University of Oxford in England. In addition to working as a consultant to McKinsey & Co., he served in the Navy Reserve as an intelligence officer.

Biden has faced pressure from LGBTQ groups to appoint representatives of their communities to the cabinet.

“While your administration is on track to be the most diverse in American history, we ask that you continue your commitment to diversity by ensuring LGBTQ+ professionals are included in your Cabinet and throughout your administration,” a group of nine lawmakers who are members of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus wrote in a recent public letter to Biden.