Gary Locke and Wife Mona
Say what you want but I like that President Obama is sticking with his vision for the United States, how he wants to do things. That theme is obvious with his anticipated nomination of former Washington governor Gary Locke to likely be President Obama's choice to head the Commerce Department, according to several administration officials briefed on the decision.
The choice of Locke for commerce secretary would continue a pair of themes that have emerged as Obama has assembled his Cabinet: diversity and reaching out to former rivals.
Locke a former Hillary Clinton backer was the first, and remains the only, Chinese American to be elected governor of a state, and he would become the third Asian American in Obama's Cabinet, joining Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki and Energy Secretary Steven Chu.
After several high-profile misfires emerged in the Cabinet selection process, Locke is regarded as a safe choice by senior officials in the Obama administration given his long history in public life, his strait-laced reputation and his bipartisan governing credentials. His steady -- and generally popular -- tenure as governor of Washington was the biggest factor in his selection, according to a source familiar with the administration's thinking.
An Eagle Scout who lived in public housing as a child, Locke began his political career in the Washington House, where he served for a decade starting in 1982. After three years as county executive in Seattle's King County in the mid-1990s , Locke was easily elected governor in 1996. He won reelection in 2000 with 58 percent of the vote, served as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association in 2003 and gave the Democratic response to President George W. Bush's 2003 State of the Union address.
Locke decided against seeking a third term, citing a desire to spend more time with his family and to reclaim a "normal life."
After leaving office in 2004, Locke joined the Seattle office of the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine, specializing in China and energy issues. Fred Yang, a Democratic pollster and partner at Garin-Hart-Yang Research, said Locke's heritage and his familiarity with trade issues related to Asia would make him a wise pick for Obama.
More of this story At Washington Post.com