The Biden transition team announced the president-elect's choice of Raimondo for this key economic position Thursday night. The agency has a critical role in everything from technology policy to climate change to promoting American industry to the census. Should Raimondo win U.S. Senate confirmation sometime after the new president's Jan. 20 inauguration — her resignation would promote Lt. Gov. Dan McKee to governor for the two remaining years of her second term in the state's highest office. The last time a Rhode Island governor quit was in December 1950, when John O. Pastore resigned to become a member of the U.S. Senate, and the lieutenant governor took over for the final few weeks until newly elected Dennis Roberts took office.