Meet the contenders for Biden’s Cabinet

The president-elect is expected to nominate a mix of progressives, moderates and even a few Republicans as he seeks to satisfy a broad coalition.

A collection of potential cabinet members under a Biden administration

The president-elect will face incoming on several fronts, including from Democrats who expect him to nominate the most diverse Cabinet in history. | POLITICO illustration / Getty / AP

In the next two and half months, Joe Biden needs to build a governing team to help him tackle an historic pandemic and rebuild the economy — all while winning approval from what’s likely to be a Republican-controlled Senate and holding together an unruly coalition of Democrats.

It’s a task that will be nearly impossible to pull off.

The Biden transition team has been vetting potential candidates for months and will present the president-elect with potential choices in the coming days. Biden is expected to focus first on posts involving public health and the economy, including the secretaries of the Treasury and Health and Human Services, along with West Wing personnel. The former vice president intends to be deliberative and is not likely to announce Cabinet nominations in the first week, according to an official close to the Biden team.

The president-elect will face incoming on several fronts, including from Democrats who expect him to nominate the most diverse Cabinet in history. That goal is not always compatible with the push from the party’s vocal left wing to nominate the most progressive Cabinet since Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The Wall Street and Silicon Valley interests that poured money into Biden’s campaign over the final stretch have a different set of priorities. So do Senate Republicans, at least a handful of whom Biden will need to confirm his nominees, if, as seems likely, the GOP maintains control of the chamber.

Biden can make history by nominating a person of color or a woman to head the Treasury or Defense departments — the only two remaining departments that have only ever had white men lead them.

Michele Flournoy, a former under secretary of Defense for policy, is already the frontrunner to lead the Pentagon. A number of women and people of color are also in the mix for the top job at Treasury, including Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard and TIAA CEO Roger Ferguson.

Biden, who pledged to unite the country during the campaign, will likely try to keep his coalition together by nominating a mix of progressives, moderates and even a few Republicans. He’s also likely to draw in some fresh faces alongside longtime Biden loyalists. “I think one thing Joe Biden has always liked is a variety of viewpoints,” said former Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), who served for six years alongside Biden in the Senate. In other words, expect Biden’s own self-styled “Team of Rivals.”

The likelihood that Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell will remain Senate majority leader, however, means that every Biden nominee will need to win at least a few Republican votes. That will limit Biden’s choices and makes it less likely some left-wing choices would be confirmed. House Democrats are also more wary of Biden tapping any of their members from competitive districts, given that their majority just narrowed and they don’t want to risk any upset special elections.

POLITICO has compiled lists of the early contenders for each Cabinet post, but new candidates may emerge. Biden has long been superstitious about making personnel decisions ahead of Election Day, and longtime allies expect some twists and turns as he assembles his team. The following names are based on dozens of conversations with Biden aides, his close allies, lobbyists and Hill staff.

Defense

Michele Flournoy

CEO, WestExec Advisors; former under secretary of Defense for policy; co-founder, Center for a New American Security

Just about everybody you talk to says the Defense secretary post in a Biden administration is Michele Flournoy’s job to lose. The undersecretary of defense for policy in Obama’s first term, Flournoy is a respected policy wonk with significant management experience in co-founding the centrist Center for a New American Security.

She’s been as active as ever in recent months, including co-authoring a blueprint this summer on how the Pentagon needs to accelerate efforts to develop new technologies to outpace China.

For her, that means the department’s role needs to take on a portfolio far beyond the traditional military preparation. “I do think that experience of Covid-19 will broaden the definition of what gets included in the national security basket,” Flournoy said in a recent interview.

“I think there’s a growing awareness of the competition with China, which is first and foremost economic and technological,” she added. “And I think people understand that to have a national security posture, we’ve got to reinvigorate our domestic foundations, our economy, our technological edge and so forth.” Another possibility for secretary of defense is Illionois Sen Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran who was on Biden’s shortlist for vice president. Duckworth earned a Purple Heart after being injured in Iraq when her helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. She ultimately lost both her legs. Duckworth served as director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs and as assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs during the Obama administration.

Jack Reed, a West Point grad and top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, has been on Dems’ shortlist for secretary of defense for years. However, Reed, of Rhode Island, would likely take the committee gavel if Democrats win control of the Senate, and may not want to pass that up. Like Duckworth, he is seen as a less likely contender versus Flournoy.

— Bryan Bender

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State

Amb. Susan Rice

Visiting fellow at American University’s School of International Service; former Obama national security advisor; former U.N. ambassador

If Biden wins, the coronavirus pandemic and resulting economic devastation is likely to consume his early months. Current and former U.S. officials say that could lead him to choose a secretary of State with past experience at the State Department because the person wouldn’t need much on-the-job-training in Foggy Bottom.

That makes Susan Rice — an experienced foreign policy hand who’s held jobs all the way from junior NSC staffer to top Africa diplomat to U.N. ambassador to national security adviser — an appealing option for secretary of State. She and Biden are said to have a warm relationship, though they disagreed over how to deal with tumult in places like Egypt and Libya when Biden was vice president.

But strong Republican opposition — largely revolving around the aftermath of the 2012 killing of the American ambassador in Benghazi, Libya — may hurt Rice’s chances. That was partly what forced her to withdraw from consideration for the position in Barack Obama’s second term, and could be a factor again in 2021.

Another potential candidate with deep department ties is William Burns, a longtime Foreign Service officer who served as deputy secretary of State under Obama. He is now the president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Delaware Democrat Chris Coons, who now holds the Senate seat once held by Biden, and Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy also could be in the mix, with Coons in particular expressing interest.

— Nahal Toosi

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Treasury

Lael Brainard

Federal Reserve governor; former under secretary of Treasury

The showdown over Joe Biden’s Treasury secretary is likely to be Democrats’ first and most intense fight, given that Biden is expected to name his financial team early to give them ample time to start crafting another round of coronavirus relief and economic stimulus. And his ultimate choice to lead the agency will send a signal about how much of his advisers’ allusions to an FDR-like presidency were just rhetoric.

Republicans’ likely control of the Senate makes nominating a progressive like Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren a much bigger fight that could expend a lot of political capital.

Some members of the Congressional Black Caucus, meanwhile, want a person of color like former Federal Reserve Vice Chair Roger Ferguson or investor Mellody Hobson — either of whom would rankle progressives, given their corporate ties.

That complex reality is part of the reason why Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard has emerged as an early frontrunner: She doesn’t upset anyone too much. She’s been at the Federal Reserve during the current crisis and worked at Obama’s Treasury department. She has signaled support for the left and the center without expressing solidarity with either. And she would make history as the first woman ever to lead the department.

— Alex Thompson and Megan Cassella

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Justice

Doug Jones

Alabama senator; former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama

With Tommy Tuberville’s defeat of Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) on Tuesday, Jones will be unemployed come January and available to join Biden’s cabinet. Jones wouldn’t add to the Cabinet’s diversity, but the former U.S. attorney in Alabama has credibility when it comes to civil rights: He led the successful prosecutions of two members of the Ku Klux Klan involved in the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, nearly 40 years later. Jones also happens to be a friend of Biden’s, dating back to his work on Biden’s first presidential campaign in 1988.

Jones, however, is likely to have competition for the Attorney General post, including from Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez. Perez is “in the mix,” said Oscar Ramirez, a Democratic lobbyist who worked in the Obama administration and is active in Latino Democratic circles. Another person who’s tracked the early jockeying for attorney general said allies of Perez have floated his name.

Perez has Justice Department experience: He served as assistant attorney general for civil rights in President Barack Obama’s administration before Obama tapped him as Labor secretary. But he also faces a potential obstacle with Republicans likely to remain in control of the Senate: No Republicans voted to confirm him as Labor secretary in 2013, and it’s unlikely that his years leading the DNC have endeared him to the GOP.

Another name being mentioned is Sally Yates, a former deputy attorney general in the Obama administration, who became a progressive cause célèbre when President Donald Trump fired her in the early days of his presidency for refusing to defend his executive order barring entry to people several Muslim countries. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is another potential candidate, Ramirez said, although he’s also been mentioned as a possible Homeland Security secretary. California Gov. Gavin Newsom might also tap Becerra, a former congressman, to fill the Senate seat that Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will vacate in January. (Becerra previously succeeded Harris as California attorney general in 2017 following Harris’ election to the Senate.)

— Theodoric Meyer

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Homeland Security

Alejandro Mayorkas

Partner, WilmerHale; former deputy secretary of Homeland Security; former director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; former U.S. attorney for the Central District of California

Alejandro Mayorkas, who served as the Department of Homeland Security’s deputy secretary during the Obama administration, would be the first Latino secretary in the department’s nearly 18-year history. He also headed up the implementation of President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program as director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS). If he’s nominated, Mayorkas could face criticism from Republican senators who were almost uniformly opposed to Obama’s executive action on DACA. No Republicans voted to confirm Mayorkas as deputy secretary in 2013, which could hurt his chances if Republicans maintain control of the Senate.

If Biden taps Mayorkas, he could also face questions about a 2015 inspector general’s report that found that Mayorkas went around normal agency channels and intervened with CIS career staffers in ways that led them “to reasonably believe that specific individuals or groups were being given special access or consideration” in the EB-5 visa program. Mayorkas said at the time that he disagreed with the report’s conclusions but would learn from it.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has also been mentioned as a potential pick for Homeland Security or attorney general. California Gov. Gavin Newsom could also tap Becerra to fill Kamala Harris’ Senate seat.

— Theodoric Meyer

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Health and Human Services

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham

Governor of New Mexico; former New Mexico congresswoman; former New Mexico secretary of health and secretary of aging and long-term services

Several of the contenders for top health positions in a Biden administration have already been working for the campaign or transition, advising Biden on both the policies and staffing needed to tackle the pandemic and protect the Affordable Care Act. The list is also heavy on women and people of color as Biden’s team looks to replace the slate of Trump’s top health officials that are overwhelmingly white and male.

In the mix to lead the Department of Health and Human Services are former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and North Carolina Health Secretary Mandy Cohen.

Lujan Grisham, who ran New Mexico’s health agency before serving in the House of Representatives, currently co-chairs Biden’s transition team. She also commissioned a study on implementing a public option at the state level -- which aligns with Biden’s push for creating one at the federal level. Murthy has been part of a core group of doctors briefing Biden on the pandemic since early spring and he was tapped for the new coronavirus task force Biden plans to activate during the transition. Cohen was a top official at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under the Obama administration before she was tapped to run North Carolina’s health agency.

A source close to Biden told POLITICO that governors and former governors are strong contenders because they bring so many of the skill sets necessary for the job.

“Governors are very familiar with health care because it’s such a huge part of their budget,” the person said, pointing to past HHS Secretaries with gubernatorial experience like Kathleen Sebelius, Mike Leavitt and Tommy Thompson. “They’re also generally decent managers and good communicators and they have political skills.”

Someone like Murthy, who is “widely respected in the medical world” would also be advantageous, particularly in the middle of a pandemic, the source added, but “It can’t just be someone with an MD by their name. It has to be someone with meaningful management experience.” Should Republicans hold the Senate, Murthy could also run into opposition over his record of advocacy for gun control -- something that became an issue during his confirmation as surgeon general back in 2014.

Though none of these top candidates are particular favorites of progressives, none are raising major red flags on the left. The same is true for health care industry leaders, who oppose Biden’s pledge for adding a public option to Obamacare but are relieved that no hardcore “Medicare for All” advocates are in the running to helm HHS.

— Alice Miranda Ollstein

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Transportation

Mayor Eric Garcetti

Mayor of Los Angeles; former L.A. City Council president; ret. lieutenant in U.S. Navy Reserve

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has long been loyal to Joe Biden and is expected to be rewarded accordingly. In 2016, he declined to endorse Hillary Clinton until Biden had made his own decision about running. In 2020, he endorsed Biden in January when the prognosticators were writing off the former vice president. He will be out of a job in March of 2022, due to term limits, and has not ruled out leaving early for the Biden administration.

The most likely landing spot -- but not the only one -- is secretary of Transportation given his experience as mayor of Los Angeles.

Also watch out for Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer, who has long been active on transit policy and is the co-chair of the Congressional Bike Caucus. Blumenauer comes from a safe Democratic seat so there is less of a chance the district would flip in a special election. Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is another name being floated for the job, although he would likely face scrutiny during confirmation hearings about his handling of the 2014 Chicago police shooting of Laquan McDonald.

— Alex Thompson

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Commerce

Meg Whitman

CEO of Quibi; former CEO of eBay and Hewlett Packard; former Republican candidate for governor of California

The Commerce Department could be a place for Biden to reach across the aisle and appoint a Republican secretary, people close to the transition say, and Meg Whitman — the CEO of Quibi, which is shutting down, and former CEO of eBay — is on the list. The move would help Biden make good on his campaign promises to unite the country, but it’s sure to incite criticism from progressives, who want to see Democrats fill the Cabinet.

Mellody Hobson, a businesswoman and co-CEO of Ariel Investments, has also been named as a potential Commerce secretary. Her appointment would be embraced by some Democrats in the Congressional Black Caucus and elsewhere who are pushing for Black officials to fill senior Cabinet roles, but her ties to the financial services sector could rankle some progressives.

Longtime Democratic fundraiser and former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is also in the mix for the Commerce secretary nod, a position that he has been considered for in the past. McAuliffe is a former banker, investor, and chairman of the Democratic National Committee who has a close professional and personal relationship with Bill and Hillary Clinton.

— Megan Cassella

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Energy

Ernest Moniz

President and CEO, Energy Futures Initiative; former Energy secretary; professor of physics and engineering systems emeritus at MIT

Ernest Moniz, a nuclear physicist who served as President Obama’s Energy secretary, has served as an informal adviser to the Biden campaign on energy issues. Moniz’s ties to the fossil fuel industry, including serving as an independent director on the board of utility owner Southern Company, worry climate change activists on the left. His unanimous confirmation as energy secretary in 2013 could make him a no-drama pick although some Republicans could oppose him given his prominent role in negotiating the Iran nuclear deal during the Obama administration.

Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, another Energy Department veteran, is also close to Biden and is considered a legitimate contender for the Cabinet job. Randall served as deputy secretary of energy during Obama’s second term, as well as White House coordinator for Defense Policy, Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Arms Control. She is now a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Arun Majumdar is best known in Washington, D.C. as the founding leader of the Advanced Research Project Agency - Energy, making it a permanent fixture in the federal government. He later became acting under secretary of the Energy Department under then-Secretary Moniz. During the Trump administration, he did a stint at Google as vice president for energy, before joining the faculty at Stanford University.

— POLITICO Staff

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Interior

Sen. Tom Udall

New Mexico senator; former New Mexico congressman; former New Mexico state attorney general

The top job at the Interior Department, which manages more than half a billion acres of federal land, typically draws candidates from western states, where the vast majority of those lands are. And so far, all roads seem to lead to New Mexico.

The state's Rep. Deb Haaland and Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich have become increasingly visible in pitching themselves as potential heads of the Interior Department. Udall -- whose father, Stewart, led Interior for eight years under the Kennedy and Johnson administrations -- is not seeking reelection to the Senate but has made clear he wants to remain in public life.

Haaland's backers are pushing for her to make history as the first Native American to serve in a presidential cabinet. She's also teamed up with Udall as a lead sponsor of a resolution setting a national goal of conserving 30 percent of U.S. land and oceans by 2030.

Heinrich, now in his second term in the Senate, has played key roles behind-the-scenes in getting two major public lands packages —the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act and the Great American Outdoors Act — across the finish line this Congress. He led Democrats' charge to remove William Perry Pendley from atop the Bureau of Land Management, and is well-connected within influential sportsmens groups.

— Anthony Andragna and Ben Lefebvre

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Agriculture

Heidi Heitkamp

Senior Fellow in International and Public Affairs at Brown University’s Watson Institute; former senator from North Dakota; former North Dakota attorney general

Former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp is considered to be the top pick for Biden’s Agriculture secretary, the same role that Trump considered tapping her for in 2016. The North Dakota Democrat, who lost her Senate seat in 2018, has strong moderate credentials and has in the past broken from her party on controversial policy issues. Many environmentalists strongly oppose her because of her support for the Keystone XL oil pipeline and because she voted to confirm President Donald Trump’s top two nominees at the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt and Andrew Wheeler.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, meanwhile, have been pushing Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) to take the top job at the Agriculture Department. Fudge, the top candidate among progressives, chairs a House Agriculture subcommittee on nutrition and has made increasing food stamp benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program a primary issue. She has also been fiercely critical of the nutrition rollbacks at USDA and other actions there, including the approach to scientific research.

Fellow House Democrat Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), who chairs her caucus’ campaign arm, is also under consideration. Bustos sits on the House Agriculture Committee but her seat in a vulnerable district will likely be a strike against her, given that Democrats will not want to risk losing a member of the caucus in a close special election.

— Liz Crampton and Megan Cassella

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Labor

Julie Su

Secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency; former California Labor commissioner

After centering his campaign on the need to empower American workers and rebuild the middle class, Biden is widely expected to choose a more progressive candidate to lead the Labor Department, one that would help balance out more moderate nominees he’s expected to place at other agencies.

Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.), a former union organizer who also has Labor Department experience, is high on the list of potential nominees, as is California Labor Secretary Julie Su. Levin comes from a potentially vulnerable district, however, and Democrats may be wary of a special election there, given their unexpectedly narrow control of the House.

Other possibilities for Biden’s Labor secretary include DNC Chairman and former Obama Labor Secretary Tom Perez, AFL-CIO Chief Economist Bill Spriggs and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who POLITICO reported is interested in the position.

— Megan Cassella

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Housing and Urban Development

Alvin Brown

Former mayor of Jacksonville, Fla.; former executive director of the White House Community Empowerment Board

High on the list of candidates for secretary of Housing and Urban Development is Alvin Brown, who worked at the agency under Bill Clinton. Brown, who also worked at the Agriculture and Commerce Departments in the Clinton administration, was later elected the mayor of Jacksonville, Fla. In 2018 he challenged Rep. Al Lawson (D-Fla.) for his seat in Congress but lost in the Democratic primary.

Maurice Jones, who held the No. 2 slot at HUD under Secretary Shaun Donovan while Obama was president, is another likely candidate for the role. Jones left the agency to serve as Virginia’s secretary of commerce and trade under Gov. Terry McAuliffe, and now leads the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, a nonprofit that supports community development.

In the mix as well is Diane Yentel, the president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Yentel was also at HUD during the Obama administration, directing the public housing management and occupancy division.

Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms have also been floated as possible HUD nominees.

— Katy O’Donnell and Megan Cassella

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Education

Lily Eskelsen Garcia

Elementary school teacher; former president of the National Education Association

Biden has committed to putting a public school teacher atop the Department of Education, a pledge that has encouraged unions and public education advocates, alike, and is seen as a hard rule within the transition team. Given Biden’s close ties to organized labor, there is also a widespread expectation that he wants to put a union official or someone with union ties in his Cabinet.

Both of those factors have made Lily Eskelsen Garcia, an elementary school teacher and the immediate past president of the NEA, an early favorite for the position. Garcia is a former Utah “teacher of the year” and got her start in schools as a lunch lady in the cafeteria.

Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, is also frequently mentioned as a contender although she would likely prompt strong Republican opposition on both policy and political grounds. Weingarten is a former high school history teacher and an attorney who previously served as counsel to the president — and then president — of the United Federation of Teachers. She backed Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s presidential bid earlier this year but has more recently been campaigning for Biden across the country.

Linda Darling-Hammond, a Stanford professor of education and president and CEO of the Learning Policy Institute, is also in the mix. Darling-Hammond led Barack Obama’s education policy transition team in 2008 and was widely seen as a possible choice for Education secretary at the time.

— Megan Cassella

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Veterans Affairs

Pete Buttigieg

Former mayor of South Bend, Ind.; ret. intelligence officer in U.S. Navy Reserve

Ask plugged-in Democrats around town and they will tell you that VA Secretary is a low-reward, high-risk job with bureaucratic scandals ensnaring several of the post’s most recent occupants. That makes it a tricky proposition for young, ambitious politicians like Jason Kander and Pete Buttigieg, both veterans who are in the mix for the job.

Buttigieg has been recently touting his foreign policy knowledge and his allies have been lobbying for a foreign policy post, with some openly suggesting he’d be a great ambassador to the United Nations. Buttigieg has some chips to cash in with Biden after his crucial endorsement ahead of the Super Tuesday primary elections in March and his busy campaign schedule for the Democratic nominee.

Both Buttigieg and Kander are likely candidates for a Biden administration job in part because their political prospects for statewide office in Indiana and Missouri are grim. Kander didn’t dissuade speculation about the VA post, telling POLITICO: “I’m not commenting on that subject quite yet.”

Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth has more qualifications for the post -- she served as director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs and as assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs during the Obama administration -- but would need to be persuaded to leave her Senate seat. Like Buttigieg and Kander, she is a veteran.

— Alex Thompson

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United States Trade Representative

Rep. Jimmy Gomez

California congressman; former state House member

Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) is often floated as a potential U.S. trade representative, a Cabinet-level position within the Executive Office of the President. Gomez, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, served as part of a House working group in 2019 that worked with the Trump administration to make changes to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which ultimately passed in a bipartisan vote later that year.

A candidate with Hill experience would be helpful given that a major trade bill, Trade Promotion Authority, will expire next summer, setting up a possible legislative fight. But Biden is only likely to consider Democrats in Congress who represent solidly blue districts, as Gomez does. And it would not be unprecedented for Biden to choose someone without significant trade experience.

Nelson Cunningham, president and CEO of the global advisory firm McLarty Associates, has also been listed as a possible contender. Cunningham served as general counsel of the Senate Finance Committee when Biden was its chairman. An early backer of Biden’s presidential campaign this year, he also has experience in the Clinton White House, on John Kerry’s presidential campaign and on the Obama-Biden transition team in 2008.

— Megan Cassella

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Environmental Protection Agency

Mary Nichols

Chair of the California Air Resources Board; former California Natural Resources secretary; former Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation

The party's left flank is strongly opposed to any EPA candidate with ties to the oil and gas industry, although party moderates contend that experience with fossil fuels is needed to implement climate change policies designed to help wind down greenhouse gases such as methane emissions. At the same time, Senate Republicans will resist the most progressive candidates.

Mary Nichols, the chair of California’s powerful Air Resources Board regulating air pollution in the Golden State, is beloved by the progressives. Nichols current term on the Air Resources Board ends in December, and she recently said she’d be willing to return to Washington and help rebuild the battered agency. Nichols served as an assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation in President Bill Clinton’s administration.

Heather McTeer Toney, a clean air activist who is currently the national director for Moms For Clean Air Force and a former regional director of the EPA’s Southeast Region, is another progressive favorite.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s name has been rumored for several climate-related posts in a Biden administration, including EPA and “climate czar,” should Biden create such a position in his White House. But Inslee, who made climate change a focus of his short-lived Democratic presidential campaign, is currently running for reelection as governor in 2020. And it may take considerable wooing to lure him from his home state.

— POLITICO Staff

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UN Ambassador

Amb. Wendy Sherman

Director of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership; senior counselor at Albright Stonebridge Group; former under secretary of State

Wendy Sherman, who helped lead nuclear negotiations with Iran as the State Department’s under secretary for political affairs during the Obama administration, is seen as a potential pick for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Sherman also served in the State Department in President Bill Clinton’s administration.

Pete Buttigieg doesn’t have the traditional qualifications that Sherman and many — although certainly not all — previous U.N. ambassadors have boasted, such as State Department experience or Council on Foreign Relations membership. But he also wouldn’t have to answer Republican senators’ questions about his role in the Iran nuclear deal during his confirmation hearing. It’s considered almost a fait accompli that Buttigieg will serve in the Biden administration; the question is whether he lands in Turtle Bay or elsewhere.

— Theodoric Meyer

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The Biden Transition

Joe Biden may be the new president-elect — but with President Donald Trump continuing to challenge the results and Senate control up still up for grabs, the story of the election is far from over.

Biden's plans

Kathleen Hicks is Biden’s pick to be the first female deputy defense secretary.
Biden has tapped three senior officials onto his Covid-19 Response team.
Biden's transition chief blasts ‘obstruction’ by political appointees at OMB and the Pentagon.
Trump's unplanned gift to Biden is that clean energy is on the rise.

Trump and the GOP

Sen. Josh Hawley pledged to challenge Biden's victory in Pennsylvania on Jan. 6.
Nancy Pelosi will seat a Republican in a contested Iowa race.
Congress and the coronavirus could quash Trump's Electoral College gambit.
Sen. Ben Sasse delivered a critique of his Republican colleagues challenging 2020 results.

Coming up: Georgia Senate runoffs

A judge is seeking a deal to limit voter challenges in the Georgia runoff.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are going back to Georgia before the Senate runoffs.
Strong early voting turnout gives Democrats hope in Georgia runoffs.
Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue side with Trump on $2,000 stimulus payments.

Design and Development by Megan McCrink and Bill Kuchman.