Who Will Replace Obama In The US Senate?
Many of you outside of Illinois are not aware of who is in contention to replace Barack Obama in the US Senate. So as an Illinois Native, I am here to give you a run down of who his possible replacement might be. Barack Obama resigns his Senate Seat this coming Sunday and the Governor has until the end of December to appoint someone, although he will appoint somone sooner so as to have representation in the lame duck session of the Senate.
It is at the sole discretion of the Illinois Democratic Governor, Rod Blagojevich (pronounced Bla - Goy- Ya-Vitch; Blago for short), to appoint a replacement to serve the remaining 2 years of Obama’s freshman Senate term.
Here are some of the contenders:
Jan Schakowsky - Democratic US Representative 9th Illinois District. Jan is a typical liberal, pro-life, support-the-troops-but-not-the-mission, Representative. Although she is personable, and appears on WLS AM 890 Don Wade & Roma radio show as a regular, Don grilled Jan as to why Barney Frank is not being compelled to testify regarding the Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac failure. Jan is a party loyalist.
Tammy Duckworth - My personal opinion is that Tammy is close to the top of the list. She is a tough candidate and some consider her to be a “Blue Dog” Democrat. Tammy is an Iraq War Vet who’s helicopter she was piloting was shot down in Iraq where she suffered the loss of both her legs. She definately supports the troops, but not the mission. Tammy ran as a Democrat against Peter Roskam in the 6th Illinois District. This was the District Henry Hyde represented for a long time. When Henry steped down, he endorsed Roskam to take his place. Roskam is also a regular on the Don Wade & Roma radio show on WLS AM 890 in Chicago.
Tammy ran hard against Peter even though Tamy didn’t even live in the district. Peter won by a small margin. After Tammy’s loss, she was appointed by Governor Blago to be the head of the Illinois Department of Veterans affairs.
Jesse Jackson Jr. - The son of Jesse Jackson, Jesse Jr serves in the US House of Representatives for the 2nd Congressional District. Although he was of course an Obama supporter, He is less divisive than his father, and more on an even keel. Jesse’s wife, Sandy, is on the Chicago City Council, and is often at odds with Mayor Daley. Jesse Jr is also a regular on the Don Wade & Roma radio show.
Don Wade & Roma have been on WLS AM radio 890 AM for over a decade. Don leans right, and Roma leans left. Their son Hunter is active duty Marine Pilot who once served in the Blue Angels. Don & Roma try to balance both sides. Some of the regulars include Republican as well as Democratic politicians. Don is launching a campaign to have himself be the replacement and has asked Jesse Jackson JR & Jan Schakowsky to endorse him. Both candidates actually said they would support him, but Don really has no chance.
Lisa Madigan - Lisa is the Illinois State’s Attorney and her father, Michael Madigan is the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives in the State Capital of Springfield. The Madigans are always at odds with the Governor and Lisa might appointed Senator as a way for the Governor to remove a rival.
In the end, I am betting that Jesse Jackson Jr gets appointed. I give him a 70% chance with Tammy Duckworth a 30% shot. The goal of the Governor is to get someone who can serve the remaining 2 years and also have a good shot of being re-elected for the next term.
Keep this posting in mind & let me know what you think after Obama’s replacement is named.
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