Obama Expected to Name Former Governor, China Expe
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Date: 2/25/2009 9:08:02 AM
Sender: VOA News
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Obama Expected to Name Former Governor, China Expert as Commerce Secretary
By VOA News
25 February 2009
Gary Locke (file photo)
U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to nominate a former governor with strong ties to China as his choice for commerce secretary.
Officials say Mr. Obama on Wednesday will name Democrat Gary Locke to head the department responsible for promoting international trade and domestic business growth.
Locke, the son of Chinese immigrants, served two terms as governor of the northwestern state of Washington, making him the first Chinese-American governor in the United States. He strongly promoted trade with China during his time in office, leading several trade missions to the country.
Locke＇s nomination comes after two previous candidates withdrew. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, a Democrat, pulled out because of an ethics investigation in his state. The next choice, Republican Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, initially accepted the nomination, then withdrew from consideration, citing political differences with Mr. Obama.
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