WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Former Sen. Bill Nelson appears poised to be the next NASA administrator.
President Joe Biden is expected to nominate Nelson, 78, to the role as early as Friday, the Washington Post reported, citing multiple sources.
The former astronaut-turned-longtime Florida politician was first elected to the state House in 1972. He later served in Congress as a member of the House and went on to win the Senate seat vacated by Republican Connie Mack III in 2000.
Nelson sought re-election for a fourth term in 2018 but was defeated by then-Gov. Rick Scott.
The Democrat, who has long been an advocate for the nation's space program, unsuccessfully ran for governor in 1990, losing to eventual Gov. Lawton Chiles in the primary.