Our ten Washington insiders are back at work today, making their predictions for who will lead the U.S. Department of Education. And not much changed over the weekend, though Arne Duncan has certainly solidified his overwhelming lead:
But there is some interesting news to report. Among the honorable mentions today* were Michael Lomax, the head of the United Negro College Fund, and Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico. Lomax brings higher education experience, which is a commodity the Obama team might value. And Richardson needs to find a home if State goes to Hillary Clinton. He's already led the Energy Department and served as Ambassador to the U.N. And while he said plenty of nasty things about NCLB on the campaign trail, at the state level he's been strong on accountability and charter schools. (We found New Mexico to be among the most reform-minded states a few years ago .) Oh yes, and he's Latino. Let's see if his star rises.
* The others were Caroline Kennedy, Beverly Hall, Peter McWalters, Ted Mitchell, Tim Kaine, Erskine Bowles, Jim Shelton, Alan Bersin, and Jon Schnur.
