Obama to nominate Richardson for Cabinet
« Thread Started on Dec 3, 2008, 8:16am »

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Obama to nominate Richardson for Cabinet
Posted: 09:57 AM ET
CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) — President-elect Barack Obama will announce New
Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as his pick for secretary of commerce on Wednesday,
a Democratic source told CNN.

Richardson, one of the best-known Hispanics in the Democratic Party,
served as the energy secretary in the Clinton administration as well as being
the ambassador to the United Nations.

With the announcement, Richardson will become the third former
presidential rival to join Obama’s team. Vice President-elect Joe Biden and
Sen. Hillary Clinton, Obama’s pick for secretary of state, also competed for
the Democratic presidential nomination.

There’s been speculation for weeks that Richardson would be tapped as the
commerce secretary.

Obama spoke with Richardson about the position on November 14, a senior
Democratic source said. The source said Richardson has always been on Obama’s
list of possibilities for the key Cabinet position.