Dennis Richardson, Oregon’s secretary of state, died Tuesday night of brain cancer. Now it’s up to Gov. Kate Brown to appoint his successor.

Richardson, a Republican and six-term member of the Oregon House, was the first member of his party to hold statewide office in more than a decade. He was elected secretary of state in November 2016.

Richardson was admirably suited to the job. He was a policy wonk and not afraid to immerse himself in the details.

Richardson’s brief career as secretary of state was highlighted by a variety of audits of public agencies. His auditors pointed out serious problems with the Department of Human Service’s foster care and other childhood welfare programs, they uncovered millions of dollars of Oregon Health Plan (Medicaid) overpayments, and, most recently, found lax state oversight of spending by the state’s public school districts.

He also helped reinstate thousands of Oregonians to active voter rolls in early 2017. He did so by doubling, to 10 years, the time a voter could go without casting a ballot before being declared inactive. At the time, he noted it made little sense to automatically register new voters when they obtain driver licenses while at the same time denying Oregonians the right to vote for failing to do so for a relatively short period of time.

Now it’s up to the governor to appoint a successor, who must also be a Republican, to Richardson. She has said she wants someone who will promise not to seek election to that office later.

That shouldn’t be her standard. Rather, she should choose the best qualified person for Richardson’s job, future plans notwithstanding. Her selection has big shoes to fill, and limiting her choice based on political plans can’t guarantee she’ll name the best person for the job.