Mexico ambassador nominee withdraws Maria Echaveste hadn’t gotten a hearing for six months.

President Barack Obama’s nominee to be ambassador to Mexico has withdrawn from consideration, just one month after Republicans gained a majority in both houses of Congress.

Maria Echaveste, a daughter of Mexican immigrants and an alumna of the Clinton administration, asked the White House to pull her nomination because of the long confirmation process and her family’s best interest, said White House spokesman Eric Schultz.


Echaveste was nominated in September and had not yet received a hearing. She was nominated alongside Richard Verma, Obama’s new ambassador to India, who was confirmed in December and was part of the president’s trip to New Delhi this month.

“Echaveste is a proven leader and a renowned expert on U.S.– Mexico policy with a strong record of public service,” Schultz said. “While the President regrets the long delays in this confirmation process that has led her to this decision, he accepts it and wishes her all the best in future endeavors.”

Echaveste would have been the first woman in the post. She’s currently a senior adviser at NVG, LLC, a government relations consulting firm she co-founded.

The news comes as Secretary of State John Kerry hosted the Mexican foreign secretary and Canadian foreign minister Friday for the North American Ministerial, held this year in Kerry’s hometown of Boston.

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