CHICAGO – President-elect Barack Obama has settled on Tom Vilsack, a former governor of Iowa, as his Agriculture Secretary. The announcement will be made here on Wednesday morning, according to Democrats familiar with the decision, as Mr. Obama works to round out his Cabinet nominations this week.
Mr. Vilsack, who served two terms as governor of Iowa, briefly sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008. After dropping out of the race, he endorsed Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and was among those who questioned whether Mr. Obama had the experience to do the job.
But during the general election, Mr. Vilsack campaigned on behalf of Mr. Obama. And, according to Democrats familiar with the decision, the two got along well during a recent job interview in Chicago.
Mr. Vilsack, who has spent the fall semester as a political fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, works as a lawyer in Des Moines. Four years ago, he was among those who were considered to be a running mate for Senator John Kerry. He was not on the short list of candidates to join Mr. Obama’s ticket this year, but agreed to join the Obama-Biden Cabinet as Agriculture Secretary.
At a press conference here on Wednesday, Mr. Obama is set to name Senator Ken Salazar, a Colorado Democrat, as his Interior secretary and Mr. Vilsack to lead the Department of Agriculture.
Mr. Vilsack, during his time as governor, sought to make Iowa the food capital of the world. A strong proponent of ethanol and wind energy, Mr. Vilsack traveled the world in search of new markets and opportunities for American products.http://my.barackobama.com/page/dashboard/public/gGWdjc
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