Fudge was also under consideration for the Agriculture Secretary, but last week the Biden transition team shifted their focus to HUD. People said the announcement could come later this week.
Biden was reluctant to select many Democratic members of Congress, given their narrow margins in the House of Representatives and uncertainty in the Senate. But Fudge, a Democrat from Ohio, is a safe seat and an exception.
Fudge did not confirm her choice Tuesday evening, telling CNN: “If I am named, it is certainly an honor and a privilege to be asked to be in the president’s government. It is something I may never have done in my wildest dreams.
“So if I can help this president in any way I can, I’m more than happy to do so,” said Fudge. “It is a great honor and a privilege to be part of something so good.”
A source familiar with the matter said that Fudge was “happy” to accept the position, despite her preference and public campaign to lead the Ministry of Agriculture.
“It is ready to serve,” the source said. For the transition, Fudge was seen as a flexible and highly skilled service operator. After checking, the question was “Where to put it, what would you best use these skills for.”
Under Ohio law, when a vacancy exists for a member of the US House of Representatives, it is up to the governor to order a special election to fill the seat. There are no specific deadlines listed for when special elections will be held.
FDG has represented Ohio’s 11th congressional district since 2008. The congresswoman serves on a number of committees, including the House Management Committees, Agriculture, Education, and Labor. She previously headed the black bloc in Congress.
He chairs the Elections Subcommittee of the House Management Committee and the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Oversight and Management Operations of the Agriculture Committee.
In 2018, Fudge publicly weighed an attempt against Nancy Pelosi for the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives, but ultimately threw her support behind Pelosi, who won her re-election. Some Democrats at the time were calling for change at the top of the democratic leadership hierarchy. Rep. Cedric Richmond, who was CBC’s chairman at the time, said he would support Fudge if she decided to challenge Pelosi.
Fudge made history as the first woman and the first African American to be elected mayor of Warnsville Heights, Ohio. She held the position of mayor from 2000 to 2008. She began her career in the Cuyahoga County Attorney’s Office.
NAACP Chairman Derek Johnson told CNN last week that his organization and other civil rights groups requested time with Biden and Harris to discuss the upcoming administration and ensure that minorities and civil rights are represented on their agenda.
Biden has already appointed several people from diverse backgrounds to the cabinet, including United Nations Ambassador Candidate Linda Thomas Greenfield, a black woman. Homeland Security Secretary candidate Alejandro Mayorcas, a Cuban-American man who would be the first Latino to hold the position if passed by the Senate; Nira Tandin, the first woman of color and the first woman from South Asia to be nominated to lead the Office of Management and Budget. Cecilia Ross, who will be the first woman of color to be nominated for the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, a position Biden said last week would rise to the level of cabinet; And health and human services candidate Xavier Becera, who would make history as the first Latino to run the division if confirmed.
Elected Vice President Kamala Harris will also go down in history as the first woman, first black person, and first person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president.
This story has been updated with additional information about the Biden government.
CNN’s Jasmine Wright, Kristen Wilson, Liz Stark, Ethan Cohen, and Caroline Kelly contributed to this report.
