The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) on Tuesday announced its endorsement of Labor Secretary Tom Perez for attorney general.
If nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the Senate, Perez would be the second Hispanic attorney general in American history.
{mosads}”The CHC supported Tom Perez in his nomination to the Department of Labor, and the Caucus will continue to support him if he is formally nominated for the position of U.S. Attorney General,” CHC Chairman Rubén Hinojosa (D-Texas) said in a statement. “We hope Secretary Perez will be the president’s nominee of choice to head the Department of Justice.”
Perez, who previously ran the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, is one of the front-runners to succeed Eric Holder as attorney general. He has the backing of many other minority and civil liberties groups who view him as the best successor to push forward Holder’s civil rights legacy.
“As a dedicated public servant, he has stood up for working families and advocated for the rights of all Americans — especially the most vulnerable,” said Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), first vice chairman of the CHC.
“Secretary Perez’s significant record of accomplishment throughout his career and during his time as Assistant Attorney General reflects the values he would bring to the Department of Justice and instills the utmost confidence in his ability to serve as Attorney General.”
The White House has said President Obama wouldn’t announce the attorney general nominee until after the midterm elections.
Obama is also considering Loretta Lynch, a federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, Reuters reported late Monday. Lynch, 55, would be the first black woman to head the Justice Department.
Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, who argued on behalf of the Obama administration in the 2012 Supreme Court case challenging the healthcare law, is another top name under consideration.
Last week, former White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler withdrew her name from consideration for attorney general. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) and California Attorney General Kamala Harris (D) have also said they are not interested.
For his part, Perez was coy about the potential attorney general job when asked about it earlier this month.
“We’ve got a lot of balls in the air at the Department of Labor, and we’ve got a lot of people who depend on us to make sure that we expand opportunity every day, and that continues to be my singular focus,” Perez told The Hill.