It's Official! Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Husband Chasten Become Legal Michiganders
Marriage and twins led to the couple's move to Chasten's home state
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, his husband Chasten and the couple's twins are now official Michigan residents. The family resides in Traverse City, Chasten’s hometown, and expect to vote there in the fall.
"When I married Chasten, I married into Michigan at some level to begin with," Buttigieg told The Detroit News on Monday. "But it was really the arrival of our children that cemented our relationship to Traverse City."
Pride Source previously reported that the couple bought a vacation home in Traverse City in 2020. Now that home will apparently become the couple’s primary residence. They also rent a home in Washington, D.C.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Transportation said that the relocation to Traverse City will allow the couple to be closer to Chasten’s parents, “which became especially important to them after they adopted their twins, often relying on Chasten’s parents for help with child care.”
“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,” per DOT spox.
— Riley Beggin (@rbeggin) July 8, 2022
Since purchasing their home, the two have frequently been seen around the state, often posting on Instagram from locales like Mission Point Lighthouse in Traverse City, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and the 60-mile trail the secretary enjoys biking along in the Old Mission Point peninsula. Their move to Michigan only means more Moomer's, the Buttigiegs' favorite ice cream. Last year, a thirst trap of Pete taken right here in Michigan made the rounds on LGBTQ+ websites across the country.
In June, Pete attended the Mackinac Island Policy Conference. There, he appeared with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at a joint press conference to talk infrastructure.
“Michigan is a great place to talk transportation — it's home to many of the world’s great car manufacturers and a governor who has been a nation-leader on 'fixing the damn roads,'” Pete said in a joint statement with the governor in advance of his appearance. “As we use President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to modernize America’s roads, bridges, rail, ports, and more, we will do so in partnership with leaders in Michigan like those I’m meeting at this conference. Together we are building a transportation system that will drive American economic success for generations.”
Pete was one of at least 14 people who tested positive for Covid following the conference. Whitmer, despite the time she spent with the secretary, did not test positive.
Pete previously called South Bend, Indiana, home, where he served as mayor before running for president in 2020. His move to Michigan makes him the second member of President Biden’s cabinet with strong Michigan ties. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is, of course, a former two-term governor of the state.
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