| Written by Yussuf Simmonds, (Asst. Managing Editor), on 11-06-2008 00:00 |
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Now that Barack Obama is the president-elect, the governor of Illinois will have to appoint a replacement to fill the remainder of his term in the Senate. Senator Barack Obama is now officially President-elect of the United States and as a result, his senate seat will soon be vacant. The appropriate person to fill that vacancy is Congressman Jesse L. Jackson Jr., who represents Illinois' second congressional district that includes portions of Chicago's southeast and southwest, and has served as the national co-chairman of Obama's presidential campaign. Jackson, the son of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr, participated in his father's presidential campaigns and was quite familiar with national politics. He has been in Congress since winning a special election in December 1995 and is very familiar with the district that Obama represents in the Senate. In addition, it is very likely that Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois, who is a Democrat, will most certainly appoint a member of his own party to fill the vacancy so that the Democrats will maintain the balance of power particularly in the Senate. Jackson has been a strong supporter of Obama and would very likely be endorsed by the president-elect in seeking his former senate seat. With the Democrats poised to pick up new majorities in both houses of Congress since the election have gone beyond their expectations--curbing the conservative trend that seemed to have dominated Washington--many eyes will be focused on Obama's vacant Senate seat. Also, as an experienced manager, Obama will want to keep his allies close in order to facilitate a smooth operation, not only in the Congress, but also in and around the White House. If appointed, Jackson will become the sixth African-American to serve in the U.S. Senate and the second in the 21st century.
Last update: 11-06-2008 13:31
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