WASHINGTON (AP) – Patrick Duddy, a career foreign service officer with ties to Maine, has been nominated by President Bush to be ambassador to Venezuela.

Duddy, currently a senior official in the State Department’s Latin America bureau, would replace William Brownfield, whose tenure as ambassador has been marked by growing hostility between the two countries.

President Hugo Chavez recently threatened to expel Brownfield for urging fair compensation for U.S. companies nationalized by Chavez’s populist government.

Duddy, who also has held diplomatic posts in Brazil and Bolivia, grew up in Bangor, Maine, and is a graduate of Colby College.

His appointment to Venezuela is subject to Senate confirmation.

AP-ES-03-02-07 1443EST