President-elect Barack Obama announced today his selection of former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack as agriculture secretary and Colorado Senator Ken Salazar as secretary of the interior.
Vilsack served as governor of Iowa for two terms. He was a candidate for president of the United States in the recent election before withdrawing and backing Hillary Clinton for president. He then gave support for Obama's presidential bid.
According to his Senate website, Salazar is "a farmer for more than thirty years [who] helped form the El Rancho Salazar partnership in 1981. He and his wife have owned and operated small businesses, including a Dairy Queen and radio stations in Pueblo and Denver. He practiced water and environmental law in the private sector for eleven years. And he has served the people of Colorado as Attorney General, as a member of the Governor's cabinet, and now in the United States Senate."