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Congressman John Salazar responds to Cabinet speculation
Spurred on my rumors that Congressman John Salazar, D-Colo., might be on President-elect Barack Obama’s short list to head the Department of Agriculture, the federal lawmaker issued the following statement to Political Notebook:
“I am humbled that I may be under consideration as a possible nominee for Secretary of Agriculture. Should President-elect Obama honor me with a nomination to Agriculture, I would certainly consider it. However, at this time, I am continuing my work on behalf of my constituents in the 3rd Congressional District and preparing for the many difficult challenges facing the 111th Congress.”
Salazar is one of only a handful of farmers serving in the Congress. That said, his mention as a Cabinet contender has been a recent innovation among the chattering classes.
That said, according to a report on the Bloomberg wire, Salazar’s name has received some serious backing from his congressional peers: “The (Congressional) Hispanic Caucus letter recommends Colorado Representative John Salazar for agriculture secretary, Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion for Housing and Urban Development secretary and Texas Assemblyman Rick Noriega for veterans’ affairs secretary, among others.”
As a final caveat that has to linger in some Democrats’ minds: If Salazar leaves his congressional seat, it could open the door for Republicans to take back the seat in a special election.
*Salazar photo from The Daily Sentinel archives.
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