From The AP:

President Barack Obama's likely third pick for Commerce secretary is former Washington Gov. Gary Locke, a senior administration official said Monday.

Locke was the nation's first Chinese-American governor when he served two terms in the Washington statehouse from 1997 to 2005.

I remember Locke was considered a rising party star when he gave the Democratic response to Bush's 2003 State of the Union address but later that year he announced he would not run for a third term as governor. It was reported that his decision not to run again came as a result of racial slurs and threats against him and his family, threats that increased after he gave the SOTU rebuttal. Locke's appointment would serve as a reminder of how far we've come since the dark days of 2003.

More on Locke:  

Locke, 59, was born into an immigrant family and lived in a Seattle public housing project until he was 6. He graduated from Yale University, which he attended with a combination of scholarships and financial aid, and Boston University Law School.

He lists among his accomplishments as governor a package of tax breaks that persuaded The Boeing Co. to assemble its new 787 jetliner in Everett, north of Seattle, and expanded transportation and construction budgets.

Since leaving office he's been working for the Seattle-based law firm Davis Wright Tremaine on issues involving China, energy and governmental relations. He argues that global engagement is a way to improve China's human rights record and deal with piracy of intellectual property.

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Yesterday on Meet The Press, David Axelrod would not commit to saying when President Obama would name his third nominee to head the Commerce department, only that it would be rather soon. Their usual M.O. has been to leak a name as being "at the top of the list" and then a few days later naming that person, so if precedent holds, we could have Secretary Ford in the not too distant future.

From First Read:

On paper, Ford checks a lot of boxes for a an easy-to-confirm nominee for this post: He's a pro-business Democrat (remember, this is Commerce Secretary so the job is to be a promoter of business); he's a former member of the Congressional Black Caucus (you'll recall this whole kerfuffle over control of the census under a Judd Gregg-led Commerce Dept. was started by complaints from the CBC); and he's a practiced spokesperson on TV (the Geithner rollout this week is a reminder that the administration doesn't have enough solid media savvy members of his team who can sell the administration's policies.)

Chuck Todd suggests that perhaps Ford's current position at Merrill Lynch could make such an appointment tricky and wonders out loud whether Ford received one of Merrill's infamous seven figure bonuses last year. I think it's telling that Ford issued a statement not to play down the idea of him at Commerce but rather to defend his Merrill ties:

Ford's folks tell me that he never received a bonus in his time at Merrill Lynch nor was he involved in developing or selling anything having to do with mortgage securities. Ford's job was simply business development and advising clients on domestic or int'l issues. Bottom line: no one close to Ford believes he has a Merrill problem.

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The New York Times is reporting that the Obama White House has confirmed that Republican Senator Judd Gregg is indeed at the top of the list for Secretary of Commerce and the announcement could come as early as Monday.

As for the question of whether this appointment would get the Democrats to the magic number 60, that is still unclear.

Mr. Gregg's selection could also open the door to a significant shift in the balance of power in Congress. There are now 58 Democrats in the Senate; the number will rise to 59 if Al Franken of Minnesota is seated after the legal challenge to the race results is completed.

If Gov. John Lynch of New Hampshire, a Democrat, replaced Mr. Gregg with a member of his own party, that would put the Democratic majority at 60 -- a magic number in the Senate because it is the number of votes needed to control the legislative agenda and block a filibuster.

But there are no guarantees that Mr. Lynch would pick a Democrat: New Hampshire is a state that prizes its political independence, and Mr. Lynch is a moderate. Some analysts say the governor could turn to a well-regarded Republican --Warren Rudman, a former senator from New Hampshire, has been mentioned -- to serve as a kind of "caretaker senator" to fill out the remainder of Mr. Gregg's term, which expires at the end of 2010.

Sources have acknowledged Gregg's reluctance to take the appointment if it means he'll be replaced with a Democrat.

A main factor in whether Mr. Gregg accepts the commerce position, these officials say, is a commitment from Mr. Lynch that he strongly consider a Republican or an independent for the Senate seat.

Although, really, one can't really imagine his turning it down regardless. Hell, he's a Senator in the minority and is the only Republican left in Congress from New Hampshire; the writing is on the wall.

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News broke this afternoon that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, Barack Obama's nominee for Secretary of Commerce, has withdrawn his nomination over questions regarding a federal investigation of the state's $1.5 million dollar financial services contract with a Beverly Hills, California firm, CDR, who's CEO, David Rubin, donated $110,000 to political committee's affiliated with Governor Richardson.

I am heartsick because I've always felt that Richardson's presence in the cabinet essential to Obama's success. Nevertheless, as my grandma is fond of saying, "one monkey don't stop no show." The vacancy represents an opportunity to do something no president has done and after the Warren fiasco a few weeks back, I've come to feel pretty strongly that Barack Obama needs to appoint a "gay American," as former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevy put it, to the cabinet of the United States.

When you stop and think about it this is a barrier that Bill Clinton should have shattered years ago, and one Al Gore probably would have if the ignorant tumbleweed that is George W. Bush hadn't tripped him up.   Clinton, after the broken promise of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," attempted to buy off the LGBT community with the appointments of James Hormel as ambassador to Luxemburg and Roberta Achtenberg as Deputy Secretary of HUD. The public break with activist David Mixner, a leading LGBT fundraiser and convention delegate for Clinton, damaged Clinton's relationship with the LGBT community in a big way.

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PER MSNBC:

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, tapped in December by President-elect Barack Obama to serve as secretary of Commerce, has withdrawn his name for the position, citing a pending investigation into a company that has done business with his state.

"Let me say unequivocally that I and my Administration have acted properly in all matters and that this investigation will bear out that fact," he said Sunday in a report by NBC News. "But I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process."

He said he plans to continue in his role as governor. "I appreciate the confidence President-elect Obama has shown in me, and value our friendship and working partnership. I told him that I am eager to serve in the future in any way he deems useful. And like all Americans, I pray for his success and the success of our beloved country."

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