Despite Promises, Gregg Pick May Still Hurt GOP

Judd Gregg, New Hampshire's Republican U.S. Senator, has emerged as the leading contender to become Barack Obama's Commerce Secretary. Personally, I think he is a surprisingly good pick -- inasmuch as Gregg is respected on both sides of the aisle and is a known advocate for cutting taxes and spending.

He's not the most conservative of Republicans, he's not the most liberal either, and who would have thought that President Obama would have a cabinet member who supported Mitt Romney for the Presidency?

That said, Sen. Gregg's nomination should rightly scare many Republicans - not because there's anything wrong with the man, but because Democratic Governor John Lynch will be picking his successor. With the Democrats so close to a super-majority in the U.S. Senate, the appointment of a 60th Democratic senator would be an absolute disaster.

Luckily, Sen. Gregg is adamant that he will not accept his nomination unless he gets a guarantee that his Senate replacement will be a Republican, and Lynch seems to be signaling he is okay with that. However, this appointments still creates problems for the Republican Party.

Judd Gregg is of the last Republicans standing in increasingly blue New England, and losing the three-term incumbent would almost assure that his seat will go to a Democrat in two years - with the Republican replacement being little more than a placeholder.

Also, let's be honest; I hardly expect Gov. Lynch to replace Gregg with a terribly strong Republican. According to NPR, some state-level Democrats are already angry with Lynch for even considering replacing Gregg with a Republican, so he might at least decide to mollify them by picking a weak, moderate Senator who will be easily defeated in two years.

This, of course, would put the Democrats in a much better position than if they were trying to unseat a popular three-term incumbent.


So, while he would be a fantastic Commerce Secretary, I'm not sure that accepting the job would be the smartest move for Judd Gregg -- or for conservatives, either.

Update: Politico reports Obama will nominate Gregg tomorrow morning.