President George W. Bush, facing a tough battle in Congress over a controversial trade deal with Central America, turned to Capitol Hill veteran Rob Portman to be his next US trade representative.
"For more than a decade, Rob Portman has been a superb representative of the Second District of Ohio," Mr Bush said at a White House event to announce the nomination. "As a member of the House leadership, Rob has shown he can bring together people of differing views to get things done."
Mr Portman - whose first big challenge will be winning approval of a contentious free trade agreement with five Central American countries and the Dominican Republic - is a close ally of House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican who promoted him to a leadership post.
The Republican congressman, who hails from a big manufacturing state, will also have to cope with mounting congressional anger over the US trade gap with China, which swelled to a record $162 billion in 2004.
He serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over trade, and played an advisory role in Mr Bush's re-election campaign last year, particularly in Ohio, where the President eked out a narrow but crucial victory.
Mr Portman pledged to continue Mr Bush's "bold international trade agenda" if confirmed by the Senate.
"Through expanded trade, the roots of democracy and freedom are deepened. And here at home, trade policy opens markets to create jobs, a higher standard of living and greater economic growth," Mr Portman said.
He joked that while his daughter had never heard of the USTR, she thought it sounded like a "neat job."
Senate Republican leaders said they expected to move swiftly on the nomination after Congress returns in April from a two-week break. Key Democrats welcomed Mr Bush's surprise selection, which they hoped would lead to more cooperation on trade after four years of often sharp disagreements.
"Representative Portman called me this morning to express his interest in working together and I could not be more pleased that he is reaching out," said New York Rep. Charles Rangel, the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee.