NYT: Republican Senator is Top Choice to Run Commerce Dept.
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Senator Judd Gregg, Republican of New Hampshire, is the top contender to be President Obama’s nominee for commerce secretary, the White House said Saturday, a move that could strengthen Democrats’ control of Congress.
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A senior Obama administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because a formal announcement had not been made, said that Mr. Gregg was “now the leading candidate” for the commerce post and that a selection “could come as early as Monday.”
The selection of Mr. Gregg, who is in his third term as a senator, could open the door to a significant shift in the Congressional balance of power.
At present, the Democrats’ Senate majority is 58, which includes two independents; that number will rise to 59 if Al Franken is seated after the legal challenge to the results of the Minnesota Senate race is completed.
If Gov. John Lynch of New Hampshire, a Democrat, replaced Mr. Gregg with a member of his own party, that would put the Democratic majority at 60 — a magic number in the Senate because it is how many votes are needed to control the legislative agenda and to block a filibuster.
But there are no guarantees that Mr. Lynch would pick a Democrat: New Hampshire prizes its political independence, and the governor is a moderate. Some analysts say he could turn to a well-regarded Republican — former Senator Warren Rudman has been mentioned — to serve as a kind of caretaker to fill out the remainder of Mr. Gregg’s term, which expires at the end of 2010.
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But Mr. Gregg has lately been saying nice things about Mr. Obama. Last week, the senator was quoted as calling the president a “tour de force.”
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