In Transition

Sorry, all you Penny Pritzker fans out there. She’s not going to be the Commerce Secretary after all.

This morning, several reports suggested that Pritzker, a longtime backer of President-elect Barack Obama who served as his national campaign finance chairwoman, was the front-runner to head the Commerce Department in his administration. But Pritzker is shooting down those reports today, and a source said she was never even interested in the job.

“Speculation has grown that I am a candidate for Secretary of Commerce. I am not,” Pritzker said in a statement. “I think I can best serve our nation in my current capacity: building businesses,creating jobs and working to strengthen our economy.”

Picking up on the cue, transition spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said Pritzker “is a trusted adviser and valued friend to the President-elect, and played a critical role in his campaign. She would be an enormous asset to an Obama Administration given her experience in business and economic growth, but has decided that given her family and business commitments she is not interested in serving at this time. She’ll continue to be a close economic advisor to the President-elect and his team.”

Pritzker, a Chicago real estate executive who was also a crucial supporter of Obama’s Senate race in 2004, had been on the list of possible Commerce candidates since the fall. But the fact that she pulled out of contention so early suggests that all of the reports were nothing more than a trial balloon — and one that didn’t work.

— David Nather