Biden picks former Sen. Tom Udall for New Zealand ambassador

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FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2020 file photo, Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., speaks during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washin… FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2020 file photo, Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., speaks during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Joe Biden is nominating former New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall to serve as his ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 9, 2015, file photo U.S. Ambassador to France Jane D. Hartley, poses for the photographers prior to a dinner at the US Ambassador’… FILE - In this Dec. 9, 2015, file photo U.S. Ambassador to France Jane D. Hartley, poses for the photographers prior to a dinner at the US Ambassador’s residence in Paris. President Joe Biden is expected to nominate Democratic fundraiser Jane Hartley to serve as his ambassador to the United Kingdom, according to a person familiar with the decision who was not authorized to comment publicly. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is nominating former New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall to serve as his ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa.

Udall, a Democrat, retired in 2021 after two terms in the Senate representing New Mexico. He spent five terms in the House and served as New Mexico’s attorney general. He comes from a family well known for public service: his father Stewart Udall served as interior secretary, his uncle Mo Udall was a congressman from Colorado and his cousin Mark Udall was a senator from Colorado

“Having dedicated my life to public service and having served as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee focusing on policies that promote democracy, international development, and conservation, I am honored to be nominated by President Biden to this next role serving our great country," Udall said in a statement.

Udall is the third former Senate colleague that Biden has tapped for an ambassadorial position.

He’s also nominated Ken Salazar, a Democrat who represented Colorado and served as Interior secretary in the Obama administration, to serve as ambassador to Mexico, and Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican who endorsed Biden’s 2020 run, to serve as ambassador to Turkey.

Biden is also expected to nominate Democratic fundraiser Jane Hartley to serve as his ambassador to the United Kingdom, according to a person familiar with the decision who was not authorized to comment publicly.

It was not immediately clear when the White House would formally announce the appointment of Hartley, who served as ambassador to France and Monaco during the Obama administration. She was a significant fundraiser for Biden’s 2020 run for the White House.

The White House declined to comment about Hartley’s pending nomination, which was first reported by the Washington Post.

Hartley served as chief executive of the economic and political advisory firm Observatory Group, director of congressional relations for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and in the Carter administration. She is married to Ralph Schlosstein, chief executive of investment bank Evercore.

The UK ambassadorship is one of the most high profile diplomatic postings and often comes with an expectation that the nominee can foot the bill for entertaining on behalf of the United States.

Former President Donald Trump turned to New York Jets owner Robert “Woody” Johnson for the London posting. Barack Obama turned to businessman Matthew Barzun and lawyer Louis Susman during his time in office. Robert Tuttle, a Californian who made his money in the car dealership business, held the post under George W. Bush.

Biden is also considering nominating Democratic fundraiser George Tsunis, founder and CEO of Chartwell Hotels, to serve as ambassador to Greece, according to two people familiar with the White House deliberations.

Tsunis was nominated by Obama in 2013 to serve as ambassador to Norway, but gave up on consideration after a difficult Senate confirmation hearing. Tsunis acknowledged during the hearing that he had not visited Norway and mistakenly referred to the country’s head of government as “president” rather than “prime minister.”

The White House is weighing Tsunis at the urging of Sen. Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, according to two people familiar with the administration’s deliberations. Menendez, as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has important influence over the pace of confirmation hearings for the ambassadorial nominees.

The White House also announced Friday that Biden was nominating three career foreign service officers to ambassadorships: Caryn McClelland to Brunei Darussalam, Michael Murphy to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Howard Van Vranken to Botswana.

Madhani reported from Chicago.

Former Sen. Tom Udall is Biden’s pick as ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa

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The two-term senator did not seek a third term in the Senate in 2020. Before that, he served in the House for 10 years. The former senator noted that he served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, “focusing on policies that promote democracy, international development, and conservation.” He also was previously the attorney general of New Mexico and an assistant United States attorney.

Earlier this week, Biden announced Jeff Flake, a former ant-Trump Republican senator, as his nominee for ambassador to Turkey. The president started his term with a large number of ambassadorships across the world to fill, and many key posts remain vacant.

Other picks announced Friday include Caryn McClelland, the minister counselor for economic affairs at the U.S. Embassy in London, as nominee to Brunei. Michael Murphy, a deputy assistant secretary of State in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, will be Biden’s nominee to serve as ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Howard Van Vranken, the executive director and deputy executive secretary at the Department of State in D.C., is the president’s pick as ambassador to the Republic of Botswana. All of Biden’s nominees await Senate confirmation.

In addition to the ambassador picks, the White House announced Biden’s intent to nominate Laurie Locascio as undersecretary for Standards and Technology at the Department of Commerce, and Andrew Hunter as assistant secretary of the Air Force, Acquisition, Technology, Logistics at the Department of Defense. The president also intends to nominate James Rodriguez as assistant secretary for Veterans Employment and Training at the Department of Labor.

Earlier Friday, The Washington Post reported that Biden will choose Jane Hartley, the former U.S. ambassador to France, as his nominee to be ambassador to the United Kingdom, but Hartley was not on Friday’s nominee roster and her nomination has not yet been announced by the White House.

CNN reported that at least two people, including former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, turned down the U.K. post.

Biden nominates former Sen. Tom Udall as New Zealand ambassador

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President Biden Joe BidenJ.D. Scholten: Democratic Party is ‘getting blown out of the water’ by not connecting to voters Children under 12 could be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by winter: report Georgia secretary of state calls for Fulton County elections officials to be fired MORE is nominating former Democratic Sen. Tom Udall Tom UdallSenate Democrats befuddled by Joe Manchin Study: Chemical used in paint thinners caused more deaths than EPA identified Oregon senator takes center stage in Democratic filibuster debate MORE as ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, the White House announced on Friday, the latest in a series of political ambassador picks.

Udall was first elected to represent New Mexico in 2008 and did not seek a third term in 2020. He was among seven nominees for top administration posts that the White House announced on Friday afternoon.

Udall also served as New Mexico’s attorney general and served as assistant U.S. attorney before he was elected to the Senate.

Udall will need to be confirmed by the Senate, where his established relationships on Capitol Hill are likely to help him.

Biden has nominated a mix of political types and career foreign service officers to a number of ambassador positions since taking office in January. Among his political choices, Biden last week announced former Arizona GOP Sen. Jeff Flake Jeffrey (Jeff) Lane FlakeThe Hill’s Morning Report - Presented by Goldman Sachs - Voting rights will be on ‘22, ‘24 ballots Overnight Defense: 6B Pentagon spending bill advances | Navy secretary nominee glides through hearing | Obstacles mount in Capitol security funding fight Biden nominates Jeff Flake as ambassador to Turkey MORE is his choice for ambassador to Turkey.

Last month, Biden named former Obama administration official Tom Nides as ambassador to Israel and former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar as ambassador to Mexico.

The White House also announced Friday that Biden would nominate three career members of the foreign service to ambassador posts. Biden is nominating Caryn McClelland as ambassador to Brunei, Michael Murphy as ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Howard Van Vranken as ambassador to Botswana.