Raimondo Will Be 10th in Line of Succession for Presidency If Confirmed

Raimondo Will Be 10th in Line of Succession for Presidency If Confirmed

In a matter of weeks, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo will be 10th in line to be President of the United States, if she is confirmed as United States Secretary of Commerce. 

President-elect Joseph Biden is naming Raimondo to Commerce according to sources, and under the current presidential order of succession -- which was established by the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 -- Raimondo is in the top ten. 

According to the law, the order consists of Congressional officers followed by the members of the cabinet in a defined order.

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Obviously, each officer must satisfy the constitutional requirements for serving as president — born in the United States, meet the age requirement, etc.

1.    Vice President - Kamala Harris     

2.    Speaker of the House of Representatives - Nancy Pelosi 

3.    President Pro Tempore of the Senate - Pat Leahy        

4.    Secretary of State - Anthony Blinken        

5.    Secretary of the Treasury - Janet Yellin  

6.    Secretary of Defense  - Lloyd Austin 

7.    Attorney General - Merrick Garland 

8.    Secretary of the Interior - Deb Haaland

9.    Secretary of Agriculture - Tom Vilsack        

10.   Secretary of Commerce - Gina Raimondo 

If confirmed, this ends Raimondo’s ten-year stint at the forefront of Rhode Island politics — four years as General Treasurer and six years as Governor.

Raimondo would follow President Donald Trump’s appointee, former investment banker Wilbur Ross. Like Ross, Raimondo is a graduate of both Harvard and Yale.

Famous Commerce Secretaries included future President Herbert Hoover, Averill Harriman, Elliott Richardson, and Ron Brown.

She is the first woman to serve since Juanita Kreps under President Jimmy Carter.

And, just a few heartbeats away from the presidency.