Markell in a Clinton White House? Signs begin to emerge

After nearly eight years as governor, speculation as to what Jack Markell (D) will do after leaving office is beginning to simmer.

The rumor mill is even more active now that Markell has hit the road in recent weeks as a surrogate for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Delaware Public Media’s political reporter James Dawson takes a closer look at could be next for the soon-to-be ex-governor.

Since last month, Governor Markell has flown to Ohio and will soon head to New Hampshire to speak on Clinton’s behalf. Both are key swing states in this upcoming presidential election.

He’s even spoken to Clinton supporters in historically blood red Utah, which may turn a bit pinker than usual this year due to the state’s majority Mormon population hesitating to back Republican Donald Trump.

Markell immediately backed Clinton after Vice President Joe Biden announced he wouldn’t join the race last summer and offered any help he could give the campaign.

“I do believe that Secretary Clinton is vastly more prepared to be a great president than Donald Trump,” he said.

But these stops could signal much more than his desire to keep a Democrat in the White House.

For years, political watchers in Delaware have speculated Markell was vying to become Secretary of Education under President Obama.

Part of that came from his close ties to the feds under a Race to the Top grant awarded to Delaware toward the end of his first term as governor.

These recent trips have simply added more ammunition to the argument that a federal post may be in his future.

It’s not a bad guess, according to David Redlawsk who chairs University of Delaware’s political science department.

He says stumping for a candidate on the campaign trail can be like a tryout for job in the administration – and there are plenty of them.

“There’s the cabinet itself, but there are many, many other appointments including ambassadorships and plum jobs in various boards and commissions and what have you and governors who are about to retire from their position are often prime candidates for those kinds of things,” Redlawsk said.

Though Ohio and New Hampshire are significant states for both Clinton and Trump, he says that doesn’t factor in much when trying to divine the tealeaves.

“The signals are really somebody who continues to be sent out there and continues to do a competent and effective job.”

Markell himself knows what’s being said by many trying to map out Delaware’s political chessboard, but notes those murmurs are unfounded right now.

“I’ve heard the rumors. I’ve literally never heard it from anybody close to Sec. Clinton. In the meantime, she’s focused on winning a campaign. I’m focused on doing everything I can here in Delaware to finish out strong and obviously to help her win,” Markell said.

Still, the timing is auspicious. Markell will leave office in January after serving eight years as governor and 10 as state treasurer before that, just as the next president transitions into the White House.

Even if he were to have a gig lined up, it’s not likely he’d advertise it.

“It is always prudent for someone in his position not to openly speculate about what they might do next and leave that up to the incoming administration to make those calls,” said Joe Fitzgerald, a longtime lobbyist and someone well connected inside the Delaware Democratic party.

He’s a fan of Markell and thinks he’ll continue to participate in public service in some capacity after leaving office.

“He has considerable talents and there are many ways in which he could continue to serve at the national level or even at the state level, whether in or out of elected office,” Fitzgerald said.

Despite Markell shrugging off rumors of playing a top role in a Clinton Administration, others are making that pitch for him.

Sen. Tom Carper (D), a former governor himself who entered Congress the same year as Clinton, says he would make a remarkable choice.

“I’ll be encouraging her to consider him for a spot on her cabinet or a senior role in her administration, if not cabinet position,” said Carper. “He could be a terrific secretary of education, secretary of commerce, he could do any number of things and do them well.”

The one possible post-gubernatorial plan Markell is floating is decidedly non-political -- a cross-country cycling tour. But he says he has to get in much better shape to complete it.

Otherwise, consulting with past state leaders leads him to believe he shouldn’t be making any hasty choices.

“I’ve talked to enough governors – former governors – who have told me their advice is to take things slow and not to jump into anything, so I’ve not really spent a lot of time thinking about it, preparing for it or hoping for it,” Markell said.

Any future in federal politics for Markell will become more clear after November’s election, though it’s likely rumors of his plans could move from a simmer to a boil well before then.