President-elect Obama's transition team has been in contact with Gov. Jim Doyle's office, confirmed by Doyle's spokesperson Friday.
The Obama transition team will spend the next few weeks compiling the aides, top cabinet posts and advisors that will accompany Obama to the White House this coming January.
The governor has had contact with the Obama transition and that's really all we can say,"" Doyle spokesperson Lee Sensenbrenner said.
Contact between Doyle and Obama's transition team has sparked speculation about the possibility of Doyle receiving a cabinet position in the Obama administration. Attorney General is a rumored possible post for Doyle, according to UW-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin.
However, according to Franklin, filing the positions of secretaries of state, defense and the treasury will be the top priority.
""Since Doyle is typically rumored to be possibly a candidate for Attorney General '¦ my guess is that's a little bit down the list on the order in which they feel pressured to make early picks,"" Franklin said.
Doyle was an early supporter of Obama after he won the Iowa caucuses this past January. Since the election, Doyle has denied speculation about the likelihood of his selection as a member of Obama's cabinet.
""The job he really feels the strongest about is being governor of the state of Wisconsin,"" Sensenbrenner said.
Governors from Wisconsin have a history of receiving presidential appointments. Former President Jimmy Carter appointed former Gov. Patrick Lucey as the ambassador to Mexico in 1977, and President George W. Bush appointed former Gov. Tommy Thompson as the Secretary of Health and Human Services in 2001.
""[Doyle] said that he has never taken a call from a president making a request like this, so of course he would have to take that seriously and listen carefully to the conversation,"" Sensenbrenner said.
The Obama transition team did not comment on any speculation regarding potential appointments.
""The world is really full of speculation about cabinet appointments right now '¦ Most serious cabinet candidates would do more to poison their chances by talking about it,"" Franklin said.
