Obama Picks Former Washington Gov. Locke for Commerce Secretary

Hoping the third time is the charm, President Obama nominated former Washington Gov. Gary Locke to be his Commerce secretary on Wednesday.

"I'm sure it's not lost on anyone that we've tried this a couple of times, but I'm a big believer in keeping at something until you get it right," the president said, standing next to his new nominee at the White House.

Locke becomes the third nominee for the job. The first pick for the post was New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who stepped aside amid a grand jury investigation into how political donors landed a lucrative transportation contract in his state. The second pick, Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, stepped aside on Feb. 12 citing "irresolvable conflicts" on the stimulus package and the way the White House would handle the census.

For his part, Locke said he is looking forward to working with the administration on the recently signed stimulus package.

"The Department of Commerce can and will help create the jobs and the economic vitality our nation needs, " Locke said. He did not mention the census, which will now come back under the umbrella of the White House with Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel overseeing the process.

The White House has said the census will technically remain part of the Commerce Department but census managers will work closely with Emanuel and other top-level staffers. This change stirred objections from Republicans including Gregg.

Locke, a Democrat, was the first Chinese-American governor in U.S history when he was elected in 1996. He served two terms in Washington state and was also chairman of the Democratic Governors Association and gave the Democratic response to the State of the Union address in 2003.

Obama praised Locke as a man who shares his vision for turning around the economy, and someone who knows the American dream. "He's lived it and that's why he shares my commitment to do whatever it takes to keep it alive in our time," Obama said.

"I'm grateful he's agreed to leave one Washington for another," the president added.

If confirmed by the Senate, he would assume control of a large agency with a broad portfolio that includes overseeing the 2010 national head count, oceans policy and many aspects of international trade.

FOX News' Eve Zibel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.