Obama to name Locke to run Commerce Dept.
WASHINGTON — Maybe the third time will be the charm. President Barack Obama can only hope.
He is set to name former Washington Gov. Gary Locke as his commerce secretary on Wednesday after his top two choices for the post fell through.
A Democrat, Locke was the nation's first Chinese-American governor, serving two terms from 1997 to 2005.
If confirmed by the Senate, he would assume control of a large agency with a broad portfolio that includes overseeing the 2010 national head count, oceans policy and many aspects of international trade.
The president initially tapped New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a fellow Democrat, for the Cabinet post. He withdrew in January, before Obama took office, after the disclosure that a grand jury is investigating allegations of wrongdoing in the awarding of contracts in his state.
A month later, Obama announced that Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire had accepted the job. But a week after that, Gregg stepped down, citing "irresolvable conflicts" with the policies of the Democratic president.
