President-Elect Introduces Rhode Island Governor as Commerce Appointee

WILMINGTON, D.E. (WLNE) – President-Elect Joe Biden Friday introduced Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo as his pick for Secretary of Commerce.  Biden made the announcement Thursday night, but introduced several nominees, including Raimondo, during a public event Friday afternoon.

“For Secretary of Commerce, I nominate Governor Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island.  The daughter of a working class family who knows what it’s like when her parents factory job was shipped overseas…she always remembered where she came from.  She became a successful entrepreneur that created jobs on main street and brought business back from the edge,” Biden said.

Governor Raimondo also addressed her nomination during Biden’s event Friday. “Thank you for this chance to work for the American people…the mission of the Commerce Department is a very simple one, to help spur good-paying jobs. To empower entrepreneurs who innovate and grow.  To come together with working families and American businesses to create new opportunities for all of us.  It’s a simple but vital mission,” Raimondo said.

The Governor spoke about her personal experiences and Rhode Island ties, including her father losing his manufacturing job in Providence, “it was a very difficult time for my family, and like so many American families across the country today, we had to cut back, cut back to make it through.  My mom kept our family together, and we did get through.”

Raimondo touted her experience as Rhode Island Governor, saying that her administration was able to bring the state’s unemployment rate to its lowest point in 30 years.  She said she would bring her experiences as governor to bear as Secretary of Commerce, “it’s a vision for an inclusive recovery that lifts up those that have been left behind, it’s a vision for a national effort that provides skills to get Americans back to work.”

In addition to Raimondo, Biden also introduced Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as his pick for Secretary of Labor, Isabel Guzman of California as Small Business Administrator, and Don Graves as Deputy Secretary of Commerce.

Raimondo’s nomination will need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate before she assumes her new role.  Rhode Island Lieutenant Governor Dan McKee will assume the governorship once Raimondo is confirmed.

You can watch the full event from Friday afternoon here: