January 9, 2001 FORMER LABOR SECRETARY-DESIGNATE: LINDA CHAVEZ President-elect Bush nominated Linda Chavez, a strong opponent of affirmative action, to lead the Department of Labor on January 2, 2001. She withdrew her name from consideration a week later after news organizations and Democrats questioned her relationship with an illegal immigrant.

Online Special: The Bush/Cheney Transition           Center for Equal Opportunity	Chavez, 53, is a conservative immigration specialist who served with the Civil Rights Commission under the administration of former President Ronald Reagan. An outspoken opponent of affirmative action, she has been Bush's immigration adviser during his presidential campaign. She is the author of "Out of the Barrio: Toward a New Politics of Hispanic Assimilation," an exploration of Hispanic achievements and progress which deals with such issues as immigration, affirmative action, bilingual education and voting rights. Chavez was also editor of the prize-winning quarterly journal of the American Federation of Teachers, American Educator from 1977 to 1983. She previously wrote a weekly column for "USA Today." She has held several political positions, including director of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights from 1983 to 1985. Chavez won the Republican nomination for Maryland's U.S. Senator in 1986 but lost in the general election. She also served as U.S. expert on the United Nations Subcommission on Human Rights from 1992 to 1996. Currently, Chavez is president of the Center for Equal Opportunity, in Washington, D.C., and writes conservative columns for several publications.