Transition Fever (and political fallout)
This week has seen a flurry of speculation and confirmation on a ton of key Cabinet posts for the incoming Obama administration. Each of these picks could be a political minefield, so let’s take them one by one (and, no, I won’t even get to Clinton here).
Let’s start with the rumors that Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano will be tasked with leading the Department of Homeland Security, which are everywhere. One byproduct of that pick would be that the governorship of Arizona would go to a Republican, Secretary of State Jan Brewer (Arizona has no lieutenant governor). This could give Brewer a good head start on a run for the Governor’s office in 2010. That’s especially significant because whoever has the governor’s office following the 2010 election will oversee the redrawing of political districts after the 2010 census results are issued. Five of Arizona’s eight House seats are currently Democratic. That number could shift dramatically if the GOP is in charge of redistricting in 2010. BUT WAIT, there’s more. Napolitano had been expected to challenge McCain for his Senate seat in 2010. Polls are split on who would win that race, but it would have been competitive. If Napolitano takes the DHS job, she’s out of the running to oppose McCain — likely giving him a relatively unobstructed path to re-election. Now, on to the next Cabinet pick …