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WASHINGTON — New York is not thought of as a big military state. But Representative John M. McHugh, who was selected Tuesday to be President Obama’s secretary of the Army, has long stood out among his New York colleagues for his attention to military matters.

The fate of his district, which stretches across the state’s economically beleaguered North Country, has long been tied to the Fort Drum Army post, home to the 10th Mountain Division, whose soldiers have constantly rotated in and out of Afghanistan and Iraq for the past seven years.

He has been one of Fort Drum’s staunchest advocates in Washington, using his seat on the House Armed Services Committee to protect it from closing. He has also been aggressive about working to bring military-related jobs to the 23rd District.

But the efforts of Mr. McHugh, the ranking Republican on the committee, go beyond the parochial concerns of his district. He has been a supporter of spending on major military projects like the Navy’s F-14 fighter, built for years on Long Island, and the Marines’ V-22 Osprey.

He was also among a group of Congressional leaders President Obama personally briefed in February about his plan to withdraw troops from Iraq by 2010. While Mr. McHugh was concerned that the security situation in Iraq was fragile, he said he was reassured by Mr. Obama’s promise of flexibility.

“The president’s objective to withdraw U.S. combat forces from Iraq is one that we should pray for, plan for and work toward,” Mr. McHugh said after the meeting, in a display of the moderate brand politics he is known for.

Mr. McHugh, 60, is part of a vanishing breed in the House: centrist Republicans from Northeastern states. In New York, for instance, there are just three remaining Republicans, including Mr. McHugh, in the state’s 29-member delegation in the House.

Mr. McHugh’s resignation would mean a second special House election in the state, where Democrats managed to hold on to a heavily Republican district in the Albany area this spring after the incumbent, Kirsten Gillibrand, was appointed to the Senate to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Democratic leaders in Washington and New York contend that they have a chance at capturing Mr. McHugh’s seat, although the district favors Republicans.
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