Bush announces HUD nominee
From John King
CNN Washington Bureau
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Mel Martinez is seen here in a file photo from April.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush Friday announced that Alphonso Jackson, currently the deputy secretary of Housing and Urban Development, is his nominee to replace outgoing HUD Secretary Mel Martinez.
Martinez resigned Tuesday as HUD secretary to lay the groundwork for an expected U.S. Senate campaign in Florida. His final day is Friday.
GOP sources said Martinez, with White House encouragement, plans to run for the Senate seat held by Democrat Bob Graham. After dropping his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, Graham said he is retiring from politics rather than seek a fourth term in the Senate.
Jackson is a former president of the Dallas Housing Authority and the Texas division of American Electric Power Co. He came to know Bush when the president was Texas governor in the 1990s.
Bush will announce his intention to nominate Jackson in a Friday afternoon event at the White House, two administration officials said.
Martinez became HUD secretary in January 2001. He previously was chairman of Orange County, Florida, in Orlando and chairman of the Orlando Housing Authority.
