President Barack Obama today nominated former Washington Gov. Gary Locke as Commerce secretary. Obama said he’s grateful that the two-term governor, the nation’s first of Chinese descent, has “agreed to leave one Washington for another.” He said the Commerce Department will play a vital role in helping carry out the administration’s economic recovery policies. Gary will be a trusted voice in my cabinet, a tireless advocate for our economic competitiveness, and an influential ambassador for American industry who will help us do everything we can – especially now – to promote it around the world. Of course, Locke wasn’t Obama’s first…
Browsing: Commerce
President Barack Obama sure is having a hard time finding someone to lead the Commerce Department. His first nominee, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, bowed out in early January because of an ongoing federal investigation into one of his political contributors. Obama’s second choice, Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, abruptly withdrew his nomination last week after deciding that he couldn’t work in a Democratic administration. Now all eyes are on Obama to find yet another candidate for the unheralded position. But there’s another solution, says Derek Shearer, a former deputy undersecretary at Commerce under President Clinton. In this commentary from…
Update: Judd Gregg spoke to congressional reporters a few minutes ago and denied he offered his name as commerce secretary, saying a “third party” brought his name to the White House’s attention. “I didn’t campaign for this job,” he said, adding that he did call the White House after hearing he was a candidate to check on the status of the nomination. Gregg said the reorganization of the Census Bureau was only a “slight issue” in his decision to pull his name from consideration. He said President Barack Obama is a “strong, effective and good president” and that his nomination…
Nearly a month after New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson withdrew his nomination for Commerce secretary, President Barack Obama has tapped another elected official for the Cabinet post: Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire. Administration officials confirmed last night that President Obama will nominate the moderate Republican this morning. The move had been rumored for the past week, although some Obama supporters had been urging him to select Symantec CEO John Thompson, one of the most prominent black businessmen in the country. One sticking point regarding Gregg was what would happen to his Senate seat. With Gregg leaving, New Hampshire’s Democratic governor…
At the pace in which potential candidates for top spots in the Obama administration are being leaked to the press, it was bound to happen: someone got one wrong. CNN quoted multiple unnamed sources yesterday evening that Obama fundraiser Penny Pritzker was the top choice to become secretary of the Commerce Department. The 49-year-old billionaire heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune, Pritzker was national finance chair of Obama’s record-breaking presidential campaign, which netted $640 million. But after numerous media sources picked up the news, Pritzer issued a statement today saying she was not in the running for the position. ABC News…