Defeated state Rep. Juan Garcia emerges as possible contender for Navy secretary

According to the San Antonio Express-News, recently defeated state Rep. Juan Garcia (D-Corpus Christi) is under consideration by President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team as a possible candidate for secretary of the Navy.

Garcia ran Obama's presidential campaign in Texas and was a friend of Obama's from Harvard Law School.

In addition to his role as District 32 representative, and his connections to Obama, Garcia is a former Navy pilot and attorney. He also was a White House Fellow in 1999 and served as special assistant to the Secretary of Education.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Gonzalez (D-San Antonio) told the Express-News that Garcia would be "well-qualified" to work in the Obama administration. Garcia is one of a select few Texans known to be under consideration for an administration position, especially after U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Waco) announced Sunday that he would remain in Congress.

Garcia lost a tightly contested race for re-election in District 32, falling to Republican challenger Todd Hunter by three points in the usually conservative district.