The one bright side of having so many candidates running for president was that I actually found someone I could potentially vote for come November without having to remind myself that he is the lesser of two evils. I felt like I could actually vote for him and feel like most, if not all, of his views fit in where I envision that America should go.

Those hopes were dashed Sunday night when Pete Buttigieg announced that he was “suspending his campaign” for president. Sadly, “suspending” usually means dropping out of the race and staying out. After seeing him go toe-to-toe with Bernie Sanders in both Iowa and New Hampshire, I was hoping he would find a way past his flaws and provide the calming voice of reason we need in a president.

Buttigieg’s big stumbling block was with garnering support from black people. While he was mayor in South Bend, Indiana, he demoted the community’s black police chief, and he was also chastised for his handling of a 2017 shooting of a black man by a white police officer.

I wasn’t interested in Buttigieg because he’s gay like I am. It was by observing him through news media and during the debates. His volume wasn’t on maximum all the time like other candidates. He provided the appearance of optimism, something you don’t see too much of in politics. Also, he’s served in the military, so he has a better grasp on the importance of our armed forces than the other Democratic candidates.

Buttigieg’s dropping out surprised me at the time because I figured he would have at least stuck it out through Super Tuesday, where one-third of the available delegates are up for grabs, before determining it was time to throw in the towel.

Of course, then came the big news on Monday that Buttigieg, in concert with former presidential candidates Beto O’Rourke and Amy Klobuchar, were throwing their support to Joe Biden, who showed he wasn’t dead and buried yet with a decisive win in South Carolina. Some speculation on the street believes that the former White House hopefuls are offering their support on the chance that Biden might ask one of them to be his running mate.

In my opinion, Pete Buttigieg would be ideal for vice president, regardless of who gets the Democratic nomination. He would be able to shore up deficiencies while making a difference in one of the top positions of the land.

Besides the “black” eye of not being too familiar with people of color, his competitors have attacked him on not having a lot of public office experience beyond being a mayor. If he were to be Biden’s running mate and wind up as vice president, he could get that national experience while helping to shape public policy. He would also have the opportunity to redeem himself before black voters and other minorities who don’t believe in his potential.

If Sanders were to get the nomination, Buttigieg could serve as a moderate stop-gap for the Vermont senator’s progressive—one might go so far as to say aggressive—national agenda. The critique on Sanders is that his plans seem to be out of touch with independents, Republicans and even some Democrats. Buttigieg could be the yang to Sanders’ yin and keep him from steering this country ultra-left. Considering we’re in an ultra-right position, such a shift would surely cause whiplash.

Of course, if Biden were to get the nod, having both of them being moderates could be complementary. Besides being on the same page politically, it would also help to have a Midwestern influence advising Biden, as farmers have been taking it on the chin the last couple of years with Donald Trump’s tariff war, and Buttigieg could provide the inside scoop on what American’s food providers need to be successful.

For both Biden and Sanders, age is a factor. Sanders’ recent heart troubles are more than noticeable, but Biden is not significantly younger than Sanders. Having a vice president approaching 40 rather than retirement age could provide some assurances that there would be someone healthy to take over in case the president passes away.

There’s still about eight months to go before we know who is going to sit in the White House. However, I stand by my belief that having Pete Buttigieg as the number two man could result in good things for America.