This blog has been following the circuitous trail of President Obama’s attempt to nominate a new Secretary of Commerce, the cabinet post that oversees the PTO: here, here, and here. Well, after the failed nominations of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg, the AP is reporting that President Obama will turn to former Washington Governor Gary Locke.
Gov. Locke served two terms as governor of Washington from 1997-2005, but declined to run for a third term. He embraced the Republican no-new-taxes approach to the 2001 economic crisis, focusing instead on spending cuts. He was considered a rising star in the Democratic party as he gave their response to President Bush’s 2003 State of the Union Address.
Gov. Locke was briefly linked to a fund-raising scandal related to Bill Clinton’s 1996 re-election campaign. After being deposed, the House committee investigating the matter cleared him of any wrongdoing.
Gov. Locke’s record on intellectual property matters is a bit sparse. Since leaving office, he has been a partner in the Seattle office of the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine working on issues related to China. Should his nomination win Senate confirmation, this would clear the way for President Obama to nominate a new Director of the PTO.
