These Texans are being eyed for Biden administration jobs
WASHINGTON — Will Texas Democrats be rewarded by President-elect Joe Biden?
Democrats in the Lone Star State didn’t deliver a win for Biden, didn’t out-raise supporters of President Donald Trump, didn’t flip a U.S. Senate or any congressional seats and didn’t win control of the Texas House.
But Texas still matters as the nation’s second largest state in what is not exclusively a spoils system. “Biden likes Texas,” said one veteran Democratic operative who requested anonymity to speak freely.
And Biden’s primary win in Texas put him firmly on a path to win the nomination.
Among the contenders for the Cabinet is U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, an early Biden supporter who sources say is in line to be secretary of commerce or transportation or perhaps U.S. trade representative.
Vela, who just won his fifth term, is circumspect about his prospects. “I will serve wherever the president wants me to, in the administration or in the House,” he told the American-Statesman.
Former presidential candidates Beto O’Rourke and Julián Castro as well as several Texas mayors, including Austin’s Steve Adler, also are seen as possible Cabinet picks, but considered long shots.
Late Gov. Ann Richards’ daughter Cecile Richards, a Democratic activist, could be in line for a sub-Cabinet position, and granddaughter Lily Adams, a former top aide to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, might be tapped as a White House aide.
There’s also speculation in Democratic circles that retired Adm. William McRaven, former chancellor of the University of Texas System who oversaw the operation that killed Osama bin Laden, could be in line for a defense or intelligence position. McRaven endorsed Biden in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.
Vela and O’Rourke
Vela endorsed Biden in May 2019, one of the first U.S. House members to do so, choosing the former vice president over Texas candidates O’Rourke and Castro. Vela campaigned and raised money for Biden even at the campaign’s lowest points before Biden turned his candidacy around in the South Carolina primary, followed by his Texas win.
O’Rourke — a former El Paso congressman and 2018 U.S. Senate candidate who was an energetic campaigner up and down the Democratic ticket after quitting the presidential race a year ago — is weighing a challenge to Gov. Greg Abbott in 2022, said Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa.
“I know that he’s thinking about it,” Hinojosa, who has spoken to O’Rourke about his thinking, told the Statesman. “He’s been campaigning nonstop. He’s got to decide what’s best for his family.” O’Rourke could not be reached for comment.
Mayors
Hinojosa is a big booster for Texas mayors and local officials to serve in the Biden administration.
Adler is a favorite. “He’s been one of the most successful mayors in the country,” Hinojosa said. “He’d be perfect for HUD, (Housing and Urban Development) or EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).”
“The thing about Texas is we may have Republicans running the state but Democrats are running the big cities,” he said.
Hinojosa also mentioned Houston Mayor Silvester Turner and Harris County Judge Lina…
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