Denish cast as governor-in-waiting

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Despite all the speculation on a cabinet appointment for Gov. Bill Richardson, his No. 2, Diane Denish, can only bide her time before finding out if she will be New Mexico's first female governor.

There's still no official announcement that President-elect Barack Obama will name Richardson to be his commerce secretary.

Over the weekend an anonymous Democratic official confirmed Obama will name Richardson to the commerce job after Thanksgiving.

Today Denish, while touring the state's new Veteran's Integration Center, said she's ready to take the lead if and when Richardson heads to Washington. One already apparent difference, though, is that today she was surrounded by cameras and reporters.

News of Richardson's rumored appointment to Obama's future cabinet has been floating for weeks. Richardson and Denish hadn't said anything about any possible appointment until today.

"It'll be a very smooth transition," Denish said. "I'm ready to take the lead."

Denish chose her words carefully, though because nothing's official. The governor's office is careful, too.

"The governor and lieutenant governor have discussed the possibility of a transition, but any further steps to be taken are premature," the office said in a released statement. "The governor believes the lieutenant governor is prepared to be a very good governor."

"Today I'm spending the day meeting with a number of cabinet secretaries," she said during a news conference at the Veterans Integration Center.

The next legislative session is a big focus now, but Denish said it's too early to identify what her priorities would be if in fact she takes the lead.

"I've been in close contact with the governor," she said. "We've stayed in close contact this last week, and we're going to continue to work together on our legislative priorities until there's an official announcement."

The governor's office also said Richardson is looking forward to giving the state-of-the-state address when the

Legislature convenes Jan. 20. That's also the day of Obama's inauguration.