<http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1208/Solis_to_Labor.html>
Solis to Labor
Barack Obama has decided on Rep. Hilda L. Solis (D-Calif.) to be his labor secretary, according to Democratic sources, tapping the daugher of Hispanic immigrants to serve in an important post for the Democratic coalition.
Solis came to Congress in 2000 in part thanks to organized labor. With financial and organizational support from unions, she knocked off a Democratic incumbent who had supported "fast-track" trade authority in a heavily liberal Los Angeles-area district.
An ally of her fellow Californian House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Solis serves on the influential House Energy and Commerce Committee. She rates a 97 percent lifetime AFL-CIO voting record.
Before coming to Congress, Solis was the first Hispanic woman to serve in the California Senate. She is the daughter of a retired Teamsters steward.
She is the third Hispanic in the Cabinet, joining Ken Salazar and Bill Richardson.
Her appointment comes after two prominent female governors thought to be prospects for the job, Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, indicated they would not come to Washington.