Pete Buttigieg, the US transport secretary, has announced that he and his husband, Chasten, have become parents.

“For some time, Chasten and I have wanted to grow our family. We’re overjoyed to share that we’ve become parents!,” the former presidential candidate wrote on Twitter. “The process isn’t done yet and we’re thankful for the love, support, and respect for our privacy that has been offered to us. We can’t wait to share more soon,” he added.

Earlier this year, the couple sold their home in South Bend, Indiana, and currently live in an apartment in Washington’s Capitol Hill neighborhood with their dogs.

According to the Washington Post, the couple had been trying to adopt a child for a year. In addition to participating in parenting workshops and discussing names, the couple also placed their names on adoption lists that would allow them to receive a baby who had been abandoned or surrendered at short notice.

“It’s a really weird cycle of anger and frustration and hope. You think it’s finally happening and you get so excited, and then it’s gone,” Chasten told the Washington Post in July about the adoption process.

Buttigieg and his husband, a former teacher and author, have been married since 2018. They met on the dating app Hinge in 2015, when Pete was still serving as the mayor of South Bend.

Buttigieg, 39, made history this year by becoming the first openly gay cabinet member to be confirmed by the Senate. The former mayor also became the first openly gay presidential candidate, and narrowly won the Iowa caucuses last year.