Gregg Nomination Could Come as Early as Monday

An Obama administration official told ABC News that Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) "is now the leading candidate for Commerce Secretary and could be announced as soon as Monday." Gregg would be the third Republican to join Obama's cabinet, following Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

By nominating Gregg, Obama is doing two things. He is (a) making his cabinet more bipartisan, which strengthens his image of of working with Republicans and (b) ensuring that New Hampshire's Democratic governor, John Lynch, gets to (presumably) appoint a fellow Democrat to fill Gregg's Senate seat, giving the Democrats 60 seats.

Gregg's friends think he would take the job if President Obama offers it, and that he has been actively considering it. Republicans on Capitol Hill and in New Hampshire are said to be putting fresh pressure on Gregg not to take the job if Gov. Lynch refuses to appoint a Republican, at least as a placeholder until 2010.

Joe McQuaid of the Manchester Union Leader said that appointing Gregg would be a great move, but only if a Republican replaced him. "Otherwise, the appointment would be seen through as Obama's clever move to gain a filibuster-proof Senate majority; and Gregg's acceptance would make his name mud in Republican circles in New Hampshire and beyond."

Gregg is up for reelection in 2010, and he is thought to be vulnerable to a challenge from one of New Hampshire's two Democratic congressmen. He would still be slightly favored to retain his seat, but it would be a tough reelection battle that he might not want to face in a state that has been trending strongly Democratic in recent years.

The fact that Gregg is considering taking the job so seriously is indication that he does not want to have to fight for his seat next year and that he does not look forward to being in the minority for the next 6-8 years. He also is probably thinking that eight years as Commerce Secretary could be a great segway into retirement after what would be 36 years in politics.

If he chooses to take the job, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and the rest of the Senate Republicans are going to be feeling a mix of fury and further powerlessness, as they will now no longer have the power to threaten a filibuster. We'll just have to see what happens Monday and the weeks to come. Stay tuned.