Former Gov. Locke Likely Choice For Commerce Secretary

Update: Obama announced Locke as his choice on Wednesday.

According to various news reports, President Obama has offered former Washington state Gov. Gary Locke, 59, the slot as Secretary of Commerce. The office seems jinxed, as both Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) and Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) backed out.

After leaving the Governor's mansion in 2005, Locke joined law firm Davis Wright Tremain as a government relations and China expert. In 2008, Locke was co-chair of Sen. Hillary Clinton's Washington state campaign.

The Jinx
Richardson withdrew his name from consideration because of an ongoing federal investigation into the possible link between political donations and a lucrative state contract. A federal grand jury is investigating CDR Financial Products, which contributed more than $110,000 to Richardson committees. Subsequently the firm was awarded a transportation contract worth nearly $1.5 million.

Gregg withdrew his name, citing "irresolvable conflicts," after the White House announced it would be co-running the Census Bureau, a significant part of the Commerce Department. Census data drives Congressional realignment every 10 years. Democrats and Republicans differ on how to count the nation's population. The statistics are instrumental in "population-driven financing formulas," which are expected to shift billions in federal spending.

See:
:: Profile, former Gov. Gary Locke
:: What Is The President's Cabinet?
:: President Obama's Executive Team