Updated 8.23pm - US President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Pete Buttigieg to lead the Transportation Department, Reuters reported on Tuesday, quoting two people familiar with the matter.

Buttigieg, whose father was Maltese, was a candidate for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination before dropping out and campaigning for Biden.

Earlier CNN had reported that Buttigieg was a leading contender for Transportation Secretary.

CNN said the nomination would vault Buttigieg to the federal government, giving the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor needed experience should he want to run for president again.

It said that several Democrats have also been considered for the post of Transportation Secretary, including former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo.

Buttigieg had been linked to a host of jobs in the Biden administration, including United Nations ambassador, secretary of Veterans Affairs, Commerce secretary and ambassador to China. 

Biden last week tapped longtime diplomat Linda Thomas-Greenfield to serve as US ambassador to the United Nations and Denis McDonough to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.

CNN observed that Biden has long spoken glowingly of Buttigieg and there is a belief among top Democrats that the President-elect wants to get the former mayor a top post as a way to elevate someone seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party.

Buttigieg would also be the first LGBTQ candidate nominated to Biden's administration and, should he be confirmed, the first LGBTQ Cabinet secretary to be approved by the Senate.

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