Hispanic leaders pitch Obama on Cabinet choices

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is formally asking President-elect Obama to consider a number of Hispanic legislators for his Cabinet, according to a letter signed by the CHC and sent to the transition team Tuesday afternoon.

The members of Congress whom the CHC is pushing include Reps. John Salazar (D-Colo.) for secretary of Agriculture, Ruben Hinojosa (D-Texas) for secretary of Education, Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) for secretary of Interior, Hilda Solis (D-Calif.) for Environmental Protection Agency administrator and Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) for secretary of Labor.

{mosads}Grijalva’s name has been floated as a possibility for Interior secretary, but the others are not yet considered to be on any of Obama’s shortlists for Cabinet-level positions.

“We understand that the incoming administration will have a vast pool of talent from which to choose,” reads a portion of the letter obtained by The Hill. “The individuals we have endorsed constitute the best talent while reflecting the diversity that is so valued by President-elect Obama.”

The letter was being sent to the Obama transition team late Tuesday, a Democratic official said.

The Obama transition team said it did not want to speculate on who might or might not fill Cabinet positions that have not been announced.

At least one high-profile Hispanic official, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D), was, though, expected to be named as Obama’s Commerce secretary as early as Wednesday, according to multiple news outlets.

At the same time, the highest-ranking Hispanic in
Congress, assistant to the Speaker Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) on Tuesday
quickly shot down rumors that he had been offered the job of U.S. Trade
Representative in the Obama Administration.

“No, there’s nothing to announce,” Becerra’s spokeswoman
Fabiola Rodriguez said. “Congressman Becerra is very much looking forward to
serving as the Vice Chairman of the Democratic Caucus in the 111th Congress.”

Hispanics voted overwhelmingly for Obama, helping to secure the former Illinois senator’s Nov. 4 general-election victory in a number of key battleground states, such as Colorado and New Mexico.

Hispanic Caucus leaders had confidently maintained that their constituents would turn to Obama’s economic and foreign policy platforms and, contrary to claims made by the campaign of Republican nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), not back McCain, who led the unsuccessful charge for comprehensive immigration reform in 2007.

Sam Youngman contributed to this article.