Former Iowa Governor Says He Won’t be Next Agricultural Secretary

Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack says he won’t be the next Agriculture Secretary, according to a report on the Des Moines Register Web site on Nov. 23.

Vilsack says in an e-mail that he has never been contacted by aides to President-elect Barack Obama about the job or any other in the new administration.

Vilsack had been widely linked to the position in various news reports, but Obama’s staff never confirmed the speculation.

Vilsack endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton for president soon after he dropped his bid for the Democratic nomination in February and campaigned extensively for her in the state.

Despite his support, Clinton finished third in Iowa’s leadoff precinct caucuses last January.