Obama to Nominate Longtime Chicago Supporter, Major Fundraiser, as Next Commerce Secretary

Penny Pritzker would be third Commerce Secretary under Obama. Acting Secretary has been in place since last June

Making official what many Democrats have expected for weeks, President Obama plans to nominate Chicago business executive Penny Pritzker, a longtime political supporter and heavyweight fundraiser, as his new Commerce secretary on Thursday morning.

Pritzker's nomination could prove controversial. She is on the board of Hyatt Hotels Corp., which was founded by her family and has had rocky relations with labor unions, and she could face questions about the failure of a bank partly owned by her family.