Massachusetts Governor Paul Cellucci is the Bush administration's nominee for ambassador to Canada, the president announced yesterday. Cellucci will face confirmation hearings before the Senate in April, but political pundits expect that the nomination will easily be approved.
Lieutenant Governor Jane Swift will take over as acting governor of Massachusetts until the general election is held in 2002. Swift will be the state's first female governor, and also the first pregnant one, as she is due to give birth to twins in June. At 35, she will be one of the state's youngest governors.
Cellucci's departure from the state will create a political tremor, but few shocks will be felt on the Tufts campus. "I don't think it will make much difference for Tufts who the governor is," said James Glaser, political science chair. "There will be a very interesting Democratic primary next year because everyone is licking their chops to go against Swift.... There is going to be a vigorous election next year anyway. This will just make it more vigorous."
Cellucci, a republican, was elected governor in 1997 and has been involved in state government for the last 24 years. He was an early supporter of Bush's presidential campaign and is a close friend of White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, a former Massachusetts state representative.
In a statement released yesterday, Bush said he chose Cellucci for the governor's experience in dealing with Canadian government leaders through negotiations on energy, fishing, and commerce issues.
During a press conference yesterday, Celluci said his nomination sends a message to Canada about the importance of its relationship with the US. "I think you've all read that [Bush] is putting a great emphasis on relations within this hemisphere, the importance of trade for the future of the Americas. This is an important assignment," he said.
Cellucci's predecessor in Massachusetts, William Weld, also left a gubernatorial post to pursue an ambassadorial nomination. Weld was chosen by President Clinton to be ambassador to Mexico, but the nomination was derailed by members of Congress, and Weld later removed his name from consideration.
