Expert Opinion
AIN Blog: LaHood Throws In the Towel
DOT Secretary Ray LaHood is stepping down from his post.
DOT Secretary Ray LaHood is stepping down from his post.

When then President-elect Barack Obama named retiring Republican congressman Ray LaHood (R-Ill.) to become his first secretary of transportation on Dec. 19, 2008, it raised more than a few eyebrows on both sides of the legislative aisle. But political blood proved thicker than water.

Despite his role in the impeachment of President Clinton and his strong support for Sen. John McCain in the 2008 election, LaHood became the second Republican to sit in President Obama’s Cabinet when he was confirmed as Transportation Secretary in January 2009.