Biden officially nominates Cindy McCain to an ambassador post as representative to UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture
President Joe Biden on Wednesday nominated Cindy McCain as his ambassador to the UN food agency in Rome.
'I am deeply honored and look forward to the work ahead,' she wrote on Twitter in response.
The position must be confirmed by the Senate. McCain was part of a slate of 17 nominations Biden announced, including Claire Cronin as his ambassador to Ireland. Cronin serves as a state representative in the Massachusetts state house.
Cronin, 61, was a leading surrogate and a fundraising bundler for Biden’s presidential bid in Massachusetts. She also appeared on national television during last summer’s Democratic National Convention when she cast the state’s official nominating votes for him.
McCain was also a top Biden surrogate in the 2020 presidential contest and a major factor in his victory in Arizona, after she endorsed him over Donald Trump.
Her nomination comes as the president has emphasized the importance of bipartisanship in a deeply divided Washington.
President Joe Biden nominated Cindy McCain as his ambassador to the UN food agency in Rome - the two are seen above at the 54th Munich Security Conference in Munich in February 2018
Cindy McCain endorsed Joe Biden over Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential race
The World Food Program, based in Rome, works with U.S. policymakers, corporations, foundations and individuals to help provide financial and in-kind resources and develop policies needed to alleviate global hunger, according to its website.
As chair of the McCain Institute board of trustees, Cindy McCain has worked on curbing world hunger and human trafficking, among other issues.
McCain, the widow of the late Senator John McCain, campaigned with Biden in Arizona and helped him win that state. Biden became the second Democrat in 70 years to win Arizona. He beat Trump by 10,457 votes, or 0.3 percent of the nearly 3.4 million ballots cast.
She also attended Biden's inauguration in January. Biden and John McCain became friends when they served together in the Senate. Biden spoke at one of the late senator's funeral services.
Cindy McCain endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 election and helped him win Arizona - above the two visit the American Indian Veterans National Memorial in October 2020
Cindy McCain attended Joe Biden's inauguration in January
Trump, in contrast, disparaged John McCain, saying of the late senator, who was a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War: 'I like people who weren't captured.'
Trump also was furious when McCain gave a thumbs' down to the Republican attempt to undo Obamacare, ending their effort to try and repeal the Affordable Healthcare Act.
On Wednesday, Biden also announced Jack Markell - a former governor of Biden's home state of Delaware - as his pick for the U.S. representative to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, with the rank of ambassador.
But some of his selections for the most significant ambassador posts abroad - including the United Kingdom, Israel and China - have yet to be announced.
