Picking Obama Senate Successor Puts Spotlight on Illinois Governor

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT: Picking Obama Successor Puts Spotlight on Governor
By MONICA DAVEY
Published: November 12, 2008

CHICAGO — The task of filling President-elect Barack Obama’s seat in the Senate offers Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois a rare chance to wield influence in Washington....

Since Election Day, Mr. Blagojevich’s decision, assigned to him under Illinois law, has become this state’s political parlor game, one buried in layers deeper than just which Democrat will best guard the seat until the 2010 election. Among the many political concerns: Should another African-American finish the term of Mr. Obama? Should the replacement be a caretaker with no expectations of re-election, or someone who dreams of staying on? And how might Mr. Blagojevich navigate the choice in such a way that might shore up some specks of support for his own political future?

Under state law, the governor has wide discretion in coming up with a successor. He need only pick someone who is a resident of the state, is at least 30 years old and has been a United States citizen for at least nine years.

The list of those rumored to be under consideration (including some, it seems, who have blatantly offered themselves up to the governor) grows longer each day. Mr. Blagojevich, who is turning to a group of close advisers for guidance, is expected to make a decision around Christmas....

Most often, political analysts here mention names like Representative Jesse L. Jackson Jr., long a Democratic congressman from Chicago’s South Side and the city’s southern suburbs and son of the civil rights activist; Tammy Duckworth, a veteran of the war in Iraq who lost her legs when her helicopter came under fire and who is now director of the state’s Department of Veterans Affairs; Valerie Jarrett, a close adviser to Mr. Obama and longtime ally of Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago (she told The Chicago Tribune on Wednesday that she was not interested in the appointment); and several other members of Congress from in and near Chicago, including Melissa Bean, Danny K. Davis, Luis V. Gutierrez and Jan Schakowsky....

“Now that Senator Obama has won the presidency, I would be honored and humbled to be appointed to succeed him in the U.S. Senate,” Mr. Jackson said in a statement. “But, in the end, the decision rests with Governor Blagojevich, and I’m confident that he’ll make an appointment in the best interest of the state as well as the nation.” That said, Mr. Jackson’s camp also commissioned and made public a poll that looked at what likely voters in Illinois thought about possible replacements for Mr. Obama. It showed Mr. Jackson, who has one of the most recognized names in Illinois politics, topping the list.

Ms. Duckworth, who was appointed to the veterans’ affairs job by Mr. Blagojevich after she lost a bid for Congress in 2006, said in an interview that she had not spoken to him about the Senate opening. “If I were to be considered, I’d be deeply honored,” said Ms. Duckworth, who added that she would also be perfectly happy to stay put, “taking care of Illinois veterans.”...

While influential Democrats might usually weigh in as the governor makes such a decision, Mr. Obama has suggested that he will stay out of the matter....

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/13/us/politics/13successor.html