Biden nominates former Sen. Tom Udall as New Zealand ambassador

President Biden is nominating former Democratic Sen. Tom Udall as ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, the White House announced on Friday, the latest in a series of political ambassador picks.

Udall was first elected to represent New Mexico in 2008 and did not seek a third term in 2020. He was among seven nominees for top administration posts that the White House announced on Friday afternoon.

Udall also served as New Mexico’s attorney general and served as assistant U.S. attorney before he was elected to the Senate.

“Having dedicated my life to public service and having served as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee focusing on policies that promote democracy, international development, and conservation, I am honored to be nominated by President Biden to this next role serving our great country,” Udall said in a statement, according to The Associated Press.

Udall will need to be confirmed by the Senate, where his established relationships on Capitol Hill are likely to help him.

Biden has nominated a mix of political types and career foreign service officers to a number of ambassador positions since taking office in January. Among his political choices, Biden last week announced former Arizona GOP Sen. Jeff Flake is his choice for ambassador to Turkey.

Last month, Biden named former Obama administration official Tom Nides as ambassador to Israel and former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar as ambassador to Mexico.

The White House also announced Friday that Biden would nominate three career members of the foreign service to ambassador posts. Biden is nominating Caryn McClelland as ambassador to Brunei, Michael Murphy as ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Howard Van Vranken as ambassador to Botswana.