LaHood will not run for second term

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said he will step down from his position after President Obama’s first term, and he has no plans to run for public office. Last Thursday LaHood, 65, assured the Chicago Tribune that he was not bowing out in order to run for governor of Illinois. LaHood, the lone Republican in President Obama’s cabinet, previously spent 14 years as a member of Congress from Illinois, retiring in 2008. LaHood was in Chicago last week for a National Press Club event.