Rep. Deb HaalandDebra HaalandFormer Sen. Carol Moseley Braun stumps for Interior post: ‘A natural fit for me’ The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC – Trump OKs transition; Biden taps Treasury, State experience Five House Democrats who could join Biden Cabinet MORE (D-N.M.) has won headlines as she’s emerged as a leading contender to become President-elect Joe BidenJoe BidenTrump alludes to possible 2024 run in White House remarks Tiger King’s attorney believes they’re close to getting pardon from Trump Cruz urges Supreme Court to take up Pennsylvania election challenge MORE’s Interior secretary, but a second public figure could win the post and become the first Native American to lead the department.
Former Interior Deputy Secretary Michael Connor, a descendant of the Taos Pueblo tribe who served during the last three years of the Obama administration, is also being seriously considered to lead the department.
Connor has largely flown under the radar while potential picks like Haaland have gathered momentum and attention, particularly as Biden has pledged to deliver a Cabinet that “looks like America.”
But sources say Haaland’s endorsement by progressive groups could complicate her confirmation process, while Connor, who was Senate-confirmed in 2014, could offer the same historic weight by placing a Native American in charge of a department with great responsibility to tribes.
Haaland has been endorsed by the Sunrise Movement, a youth climate organization, which, alongside Justice Democrats, has produced a list of progressive-backed candidates for different Cabinet posts.
“They run the risk of not thinking through the consequences of supporting Rep. Haaland so publicly,” one conservation source in close contact with congressional offices told The Hill.
“She is undoubtedly qualified and we are long overdue for a Native American Interior secretary, but drawing so much attention to her over a number of other qualified people as well would potentially put a target on her back for Senate Republicans who would love nothing more than to turn the confirmation hearing on a nominee into a referendum on the Green New Deal,” the source said. “The strong endorsement from Sunrise runs the risk, ironically, of making her harder to confirm.”
Sunrise did not respond to a request for comment.
Two other New Mexico lawmakers are also seen as being in the mix: Sens. Tom UdallThomas (Tom) Stewart UdallFormer Sen. Carol Moseley Braun stumps for Interior post: ‘A natural fit for me’ Five House Democrats who could join Biden Cabinet Overnight Energy: Biden names John Kerry as ‘climate czar’ | GM reverses on Trump, exits suit challenging California’s tougher emissions standards | United Nations agency says greenhouse gas emissions accumulating despite lockdown decline MORE (D), who is retiring at the end of this…
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