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Who fills Obama's and Biden's Senate seats?
Can anyone clarify for me who would fill Obama's and Biden's Senate seats should they win the Prez election? Do both Illinois and Delaware have Democratic governors, and would those governors make the appointments? Just busy counting my chickens...
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Comments (14)
Easy enough to look up, but at least in Illinois there is a Dem governor.
October 8, 2008 8:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
Delaware either has a Dem governor or has to replace Biden with another Dem. Both seats are safe.
Specifically, here in IL it will probably by Emanuel. He's my congressman, he's too DLC for me but he'd do an adequate job and would win the seat at some point anyway if a vacancy opened up.
However, we're loving Lisa Madigan here: she's our Attorney General; and although some nepotism got her on the radar, she is a fantastic. She's a strong consumer advocate, smart as a whip, runs the most efficient and constituent-friendly office I've ever seen. But I hear her sights are on the governorship.
Jan Schakowsky is a true progressive and she wants the Senate seat badly. If it's an appointment I say go for it. But I don't expect our disappointment of a governor to be that bold.
October 8, 2008 9:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
Do you really think Blago (I wish I could trust myself to spell his name right) would name Madigan?!? After the b.s. her father has pulled in the House? I don't think she has a chance in hell, especially b/c picking her would look like a favor to her father, a perception Blago doesn't want.
Rahm Emanuel may be too hot for the Senate (Economides said it a few posts down), but he has the right amount of star power to fill Obama's seat. He may not want it, though - he's said that he likes his House seat b/c it leaves him time to do all his DCCC stuff...
Likely our Chicago politician governor owes a favor to the father of some one and that kid will get the nod (Jackson, maybe?). Blago is about to have a wicked hard re-election, and I think he'll use this particular appt. to help himself as much as possible. Whoever said the "machine" is dead hasn't been here in a while. :)
October 8, 2008 10:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
Biden's son would be a logical pick if he were not in Iraq...the seat is open in 2010 I believe and the expectation is that whoever fills Biden's seat will be a placeholder for Beau to run in 2010.
October 8, 2008 9:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm sure Beau Biden could be shipped back stateside to enter the Senate. The big question isn't if he can get the seat - it's whether (and when) he wants it.
October 8, 2008 10:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Illinois has some good talent, but the governor is an ass. I would n;t be surprised to see him name Madigan just to get her out of Illinois. hard to imagine she would really turn it down. She is a legacy politician which is a bad thing. It would be good to see some new blood.
I like Emanuel, frankly. He may be too hot for the Senate.
October 8, 2008 10:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
ooohh...ignore my post above...I still think he'd hate appointing Madigan, but if it keeps her from running against him for governor, I could see him sucking it up and doing it...
October 8, 2008 10:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
I kinda dismissed Madigan out of hand. I don't think Blagojevich would name her under any circumstances.
October 8, 2008 10:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
In Delaware, Attorney General Joseph R. Biden III will succeed his father - if he wants to.
In Illinois, it's a little more difficult. Obama will be replaced by another Democrat. Which Democrat, though, is an interesting question.
It's complicated more by the fact that Gov. Rod Blagojevich is waist-deep in scandal, and sinking deeper. In fact, prosecutors in the Antoin Rezko corruption case have moved to delay Rezko's sentencing after being found guilty on 16 counts.
One can only presume that Rezko is brokering a reduced sentence in exchange for new testimony to implicate other Illinois politicians - most likely Blagojevich. So he might not be around to name that replacement.
Having said that, there are a few candidates I can think of offhand. Either of the Daley brothers are a definite possibility, though I imagine Richard would rather stay as Chicago's mayor. Jesse Jackson Jr. could get the nod - but then *he'd* have to be replaced in the House. Obama's most vocal female supporter in Illinois has been Jan Schakowsky, but she'd have the same replacement issue as Jackson fils. Rahm Emanuel is rising in House influence - I don't think he'd want to have to climb the seniority ladder in the Senate.
Of course, all this means that none of these folks would likely be the pick. :-)
October 8, 2008 10:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
You know what I was wondering, wouldn't Obama's seat be up for reelection this year?
October 8, 2008 10:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
2010. He went in in the 2004 election.
October 8, 2008 10:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
Should Senator Obama become President, I feel that Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. should be picked to replace him in the Senate.
In this day and age, it would be a disgrace if there was not one African American in the US Senate.
As for Delaware; why not replace Senator Biden, with the current Attorney General, Beau Biden. He has already won a state wide race, so he would be the logical choice.
October 8, 2008 10:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hey Gang. I am in Illinois just south of Chicago and the rumors running through Illinois the last couple of months have been interesting about who would replace Obama in the Senate when he won the Presidency.
Why is getting a lot of talk?
Tammy Duckworth, Iraq War veteran and former Democratic nominee for Congress in the 6th district of Illinois who barely lost her election to 2006 to Peter Roskam in a strong republican district.
That's a rumor anyway!
October 8, 2008 11:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
That's a decent possibility. Duckworth did a good job at the convention too. She hasn't been involved at the national level much, which is why she didn't come to mind beforehand.
I'd still lean toward Jesse Jackson Jr. or Bill Daley as likely picks, but Duckworth would be interesting.
October 8, 2008 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
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