By CONGRESSDAILY STAFF
President Obama will nominate former Mississippi Democratic Gov. Ray Mabus to be secretary of the Navy, a source in the state told the Associated Press today. Mabus, 60, would replace Donald Winter, a Bush administration holdover who agreed to remain in office through March 20.
As someone who campaigned extensively for Obama last year, Mabus had been mentioned as a candidate for secretary of Education. He served in the Navy from 1970-1972 as a surface warfare officer on the Newport, R.I.-based USS Little Rock. Before then, he was in the Naval ROTC while an undergraduate student at the University of Mississippi. Mabus was governor of Mississippi from January 1988 to January 1992 and served as U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1994-96 under President Clinton. From June 2006 to April 2007, Mabus was chairman and CEO of Foamex International Inc., and helped move the manufacturer of polyurethane foam products out of bankruptcy.
