By Dan Nowicki | The Arizona Republic
U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor for Transportation secretary?
The veteran Arizona Democrat’s name has surfaced as a possible successor to Ray LaHood, who is resigning as President Barack Obama’s Transportation chief after four years. On Tuesday, Phoenix political consultant Paul Lopez tweeted that Pastor was on the “short list” for the Cabinet job. Pastor is the ranking Democrat on the U.S. House Appropriations subcommittee overseeing the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.
Pastor would only give a repeated “no comment.”
If Pastor were to get the post, he would become the second Transportation secretary from Arizona. Mary Peters, a former Arizona Department of Transportation director, served as President George W. Bush’s Transportation secretary from 2006 to 2009.