New picks may leave big holes for Democrats

Washington: President-elect Barack Obama's speed in naming Cabinet nominees and top White House staffers has drawn praise from many within his party but also has left a series of likely vacancies that could endanger Democratic electoral prospects in the coming months and reduce diversity within party ranks.

Roughly a dozen current Democratic officeholders are rumoured to be vacating their current posts for jobs in the Obama administration, potentially leaving openings that carry varying levels of concern for Democratic strategists.

In Arizona, for example, Governor Janet Napolitano's likely ascension to the Department of Homeland Security means that Secretary of State Jan Brewer, a Republican, would assume the governorship through 2010 - providing the GOP an unexpected advantage in that open-seat race.

Obama's own election has caused a problem, as embattled Illinois Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich, who continues to mull running for a third term in 2010, is solely charged with picking a successor - and any tie to Blagojevich could endanger a nominee's election in 2010.

Blagojevich is already coming under pressure to name an African American in Obama's place, as the president-elect was the only black member of the Senate.

In picking New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson as commerce secretary, Obama has removed the lone Latino governor in the country, while his choice of Napolitano (and potentially Kansas Governoe Kathleen Sebelius) would reduce the number of female governors by one-quarter.

"Obama has clearly decided that creating a series of political crises for Democrats is worth it if it means having the right people in government to help him deal with the series of crisis facing the nation," said Joe Trippi, a Democratic consultant.

A look at recent presidential transitions reveals that Obama is relying more on a stable of elected officials than did either President George W. Bush or former president Bill Clinton.

Among Obama's picks, Napolitano poses the biggest potential problem for Democrats. In an odd bit of succession politics, she would hand over the governor's office to Brewer, a Republican, because Arizona has no lieutenant governor.

Also, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr's election as vice-president, coupled with his son's deployment to Iraq, has created a complicated succession scenario in Delaware.