President-elect Barack Obama will announce his choice for Commerce Secretary tomorrow in Chicago, Democratic sources said. The nominee, as has been widely rumored, is Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM), who spent the day formalizing a transition plan in his state.
No other cabinet appointments will be announced this week.
Labor activist Mary Beth Maxwell has emerged as a serious candidate for Secretary of Labor, Democratic and transition offiicials confirm. The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that Maxwell, who'd be the first openly gay cabinet secretary, is being vetted for the job, along with Jennifer Granholm of Michigan and Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas. Of the three, Sebelius has the inside track and the closest relationship with Obama. Sebelius has also been mentioned as a potential pick for Secretary of Education.
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), one of the earliest members of Congress to back Obama, is the top candidate to be Secretary of the Interior, Democratic sources said. Other potential Interior picks include Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA).
For Education Secretary, Democrats say that Graham Spainer, the president of Penn State University, and Ray Mabus, the former governor of Mississippi, are said to be in the running. (If Joe Paterno gets a vote, then maybe it's Mabus.) Others include John Deasy, the superintendent of the Prince George's County public school system, Linda Darling-Hammond, a well-regarded academic from Stanford and an Obama education policy adviser, and Ronnie Musgrove, another former Mississippi governor who lost his bid for Senate.
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