Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed, a West Point graduate and the leading Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, is among those in consideration for Secretary of Defense in the Biden Administration, according to a recent report from Politico.
Politico listed who it sees as top candidates for all cabinet positions in a Biden administration. Reed, while not the leading candidate, is among three Politico sees as possibilities for the Defense position. Gov. Gina Raimondo, who local media has speculated as everything from a vice presidential candidate to Treasury Secretary, is not on Politico’s list for any cabinet post.
The frontrunner for the Defense position, according to Politico, is Michele Flournoy, CEO of West Exec Advisors, former under secretary of Defense for policy, and co-founder of the Center for a New American Security.
Politico also listed Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq war veteran who was also being considered for vice president. Duckworth earned a purple heart after her helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. She eventually lost both legs. Duckworth served as director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs and as assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs in the Obama administration.
Reed, Politico said, has been “on Dems’ shortlist for Secretary of Defense for years.” But if the Democrats win the two contested Georgia Senate races and control of the Senate, Reed would likely be in line to chair the Senate Armed Services Committee.