Who Will Replace Obama in the Senate?

Adam Doster - November 13, 2008 - American Prospect - web only

Voters may have elevated Obama to the presidency, but they don't get to pick his replacement -- that task goes to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Here is a rundown of the top contenders.

First Tier
Emil Jones
A promotion for Jones, a 73-year-old from the South Side of Chicago who retired this spring from his post as state Senate president, the U.S. Senate seat would be a satisfying coda to his long career in state government.

Lisa Madigan
Besides Obama himself, Lisa Madigan may be the most popular politician in the Land of Lincoln. The 42-year-old attorney general has built a national reputation on safeguarding consumers from fraud and unsafe products as well as on protecting families facing mortgage foreclosure.

Jesse Jackson Jr.
On the merits, Rep. Jackson Jr. might be the most qualified candidate. A strong progressive reformer representing Illinois' 2nd District, Jackson has fought tirelessly for constituents in his district -- one of the nation's poorest -- using his post on the House Appropriations Committee to fund infrastructure, housing and health-care programs.

Second Tier
Jan Schakowsky
In many ways, Rep. Schakowsky of Illinois' 9th District is a hybrid of Madigan and Jackson. A veteran feminist leader, she's long agitated for consumer rights, issuing bills to protect Americans from identity theft and predatory lending.

Tammy Duckworth
Duckworth has the type of biography that gets political consultants drooling. An Asian-American woman born in Thailand (her father worked for the U.N.) and raised in Hawaii, she lost both of her legs in a helicopter accident while serving in Iraq four years ago.
 
Valerie Jarrett
Jarrett, the "other half of Obama's brain," is a long-time friend and close adviser to the president- and first lady-elect. Born in Iran to a world-renown African American doctor, her family pedigree is unparalleled: Her great-grandfather was the first African American graduate of M.I.T. and her grandfather Robert Taylor was the first black man to head the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA).