US Trade Representative and former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk tops President Obama's short list to become the new Commerce Secretary, reports Politico.
Obama is naming Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to succeed his ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman, who’s leaving April 30. Officials say a top candidate to replace Locke is Ron Kirk, the U.S. Trade Representative. Under that scenario, look for Mike Froman, the deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs, to replace Kirk as USTR.
Former Republican Utah Gov. Huntsman is reportedly considering a 2012 presidential bid.
The 56-year-old Kirk was the first Black mayor of Dallas and after serving as Texas Secretary of State under Gov. Ann Richards. Kirk was elected Dallas mayor in 1991, overwhelmingly re-elected in 1995 and 1999. Kirk was pro-LGBT as Dallas mayor. In the 2001 Senate election that he lost to John Cornyn, Kirk campaigned on ENDA and an LGBT-inclusive federal hate crimes law.
FYI: There is also a behind-the-scenes push by some LGBT activists to get the White House to consider an openly gay Commerce nominee, such as Export-Import Bank Director Fred P. Hochberg ...
