Pete Buttigieg scored his biggest endorsement yet Thursday and it isn’t even a celebrity. Move over, Kevin Costner, there is a bigger endorsement to talk about today.

U.S. Rep. Anthony Brown of Maryland announced that Buttigieg is his choice in the 2020 Democrat primary. The importance of this endorsement rests on identity politics. Rep. Brown is African-American and, most importantly, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. As we know, the narrative about Buttigieg is that he doesn’t have support among black voters. Brown wants to focus on Buttigieg’s ability to be a unifying force focusing on the country’s shared values.

Our country needs a president who can heal our divides and restore decency to our nation’s highest office,” Brown said in the release. “Pete’s message is not defined by exclusion but welcomes everyone into the fight to tackle our nation’s greatest challenges. As we fight for the future of the soul of our country here at home, we also remain entangled in endless wars abroad and the threats to American lives and interests around the world have increased.”

This is an impressive “get” for the Buttigieg campaign. Brown is the former lieutenant governor of Maryland, a former colonel of the U.S. Army Reserve and currently serves as the vice-chair of the House Armed Services Committee. He will become the campaign’s first national co-chair.

The Buttigieg campaign released a statement from the candidate:

“As a veteran of the Iraq War, Congressman Brown understands firsthand the gravity of the decisions that are made in Washington,” Buttigieg said in a release. “Congressman Brown has been a leader in rejecting the political warfare we have come to expect from Washington, focused on keeping our nation safe while working to end endless wars, boosting workforce development, and make sure we have an economy that works for everyone.”

How does this play among black voters back home in Indiana? According to Cordelia Lewis-Burks, vice-chair of the Indiana Democratic Party, and a Democratic National Committee member who could vote on the second round of balloting at a contested convention, it’s all good. She is described as the most powerful African-American woman in Indianapolis politics and she likes Mayor Pete. She likes to point out that she still calls him that, despite the fact that he is no longer the Mayor of South Bend. It is also important to note that she describes herself as a moderate Democrat and was the first Indiana super delegate to back Barack Obama’s candidacy in 2008.

Lewis-Burks says she is being pursued by the Biden campaign for an endorsement of good old Joe.

Ms. Lewis-Burks was quoted in a New York Times piece on Buttigieg’s lack of support from the African-American community last November. She spoke of her difficulty in securing Buttigieg as a keynote speaker for an N.A.A.C.P. dinner – the Greater Indianapolis NAACP’s 50th Freedom Fund Banquet. She now says her quotes were taken out of context by the New York Times. That would certainly be a normal complaint, wouldn’t it? The newspaper piece was spreading the narrative about Buttigieg’s lack of support from black voters. She says she was tired of the narrative and invited him to speak at the banquet. She knew the press coverage of the event would garner a lot of publicity for the candidate and potential voters could hear from him. As it turned out, he did speak at the banquet and according to Lewis-Burks, it was the biggest turnout the dinner has ever had. She asks a question that many of us do when it comes to the media trashing Buttigieg for his lack of black voter support – why haven’t they focused on Cory Booker? Why didn’t they focus on Kamala Harris when she was in the primary race? Neither has been reported to have an abundance of black support.

For now, though, Lewis-Burks is keeping her powder dry. She’s waiting until the Iowa caucuses to see how Buttigieg does there. She says that Obama won the Iowa caucuses in 2008 and it’s an important indicator for her about moving toward winning the nomination. She’s isn’t going to endorse anyone early and noted that Buttigieg hasn’t really campaigned much in Indiana since that state’s primary isn’t until May. The campaign, though, is regularly keeping her updated on their events and actions, along with his positions on issues. Clearly, her endorsement would be important to Buttigieg moving forward.

Buttigieg is experiencing good polling news in early states. He and Bernie Sanders are maintaining an upward trajectory while the other two candidates in the top four, Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden, continue to stall and decline in polls. There is time for that to change but so far Buttigieg should be pleased. While Biden remains at the top in national polling, his support continues to be shaky on a state by state basis. A lot rides on the outcomes in Iowa and New Hampshire, where Buttigieg is well-positioned. Biden can look to South Carolina for a win, most likely, and from there it is just too early to tell. In the meantime, Buttigieg can hope now that he can bring on other black public officials to check that identity box for the Democrats who depend upon identity politics.