Who Replaces Eric Holder?

Deval Patrick, Kamala Harris turning up on lots of lists
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 25, 2014 7:08 PM CDT
Who Replaces Eric Holder?
President Obama and Eric Holder at today's White House announcement.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

With Eric Holder leaving the post of attorney general, attention shifts to who will succeed the man President Obama today praised as "the people's lawyer." (Read Obama's full remarks here.) Whoever it is will surely face a bruising confirmation battle given Republicans' disdain of Holder, observes the LA Times. Here are some of the common names cropping up as early contenders, from sources including the Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, and the International Business Times:

  • Kamala Harris: California's attorney general would be the first woman with African-American or South Asian ancestry in the job.
  • Deval Patrick: Massachusetts' black governor was previously in contention for the job, though he issued a statement saying it is "not one for me right now."

  • Kathryn Ruemmler: The former White House counsel had lunch with Holder last month.
  • Preet Bharara: The US attorney for the Southern District of New York would be the first Asian-American attorney general.
  • Donald Verrilli: The current US solicitor general successfully defended ObamaCare (or mostly, anyway) before the Supreme Court in 2012.
Other names mentioned more than once include Janet Napolitano, now president of the University of California; James Cole, currently No. 2 in the Justice Department; Education Secretary Arne Duncan; Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse; and Loretta Lynch, US attorney in Brooklyn. (More Eric Holder stories.)

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