Barack Obama runs for U.S. Senate seat; primary election March 16

Jet, March 15, 2004

Illinois State Senator Barack Obama says his name "Barack" "means one who is blessed by God" in Swahili.

And he certainly has been using his God-given intellect, political savvy and sensitivity to enrich the lives of the poor, the minority, the working class, the youth and the elderly communities throughout Illinois.

The highly qualified and dedicated politician takes his commitment to a higher level as a candidate for the U.S. Senate in Illinois' primary election next week on Tuesday, March 16.

He is seeking the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate. He is on track to become the only Black in the U.S. Senate and the first Black male senator from Illinois. He also would be only the fifth Black U.S. senator ever in the nation.

He told JET: "I think this country is at a crossroads right now. We have a president and a Republican Congress that doesn't seem to concern itself with the struggles of working families. When I look across the state and across the country, I see a growing number of people without work, a health care crisis that affects not only the uninsured but people who have health insurance, a lack of prescription drug coverage for seniors and an education system that is in disrepair."

As state senator, he wrote and passed landmark legislation that ended racial profiling and required videotaped confessions in murder cases. The law was prompted after 13 innocent men, most of whom were Black and Latino, were on Death Row in Illinois. He also sponsored a bill that was passed into law in Illinois that allows women to take a leave of absence from work if they have been the victims of domestic or sexual violence. Obama also sponsored a bill that was signed by Governor Rod Blagojevich that expanded KidCare to provide insurance coverage for an additional 20,000 Illinois children whose parents lack health insurance.

He notes, "Given my track record in addressing these issues, I know I can make an important contribution in the United States Senate. I also think that I can give a voice to African-Americans and other minorities who currently have no representation."

He has won the endorsement of Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rep. Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL), Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) and Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) and Illinois State Senate President Emil Jones. Famed jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis has performed at a fund-raiser for him.

He also has won the support of the largest teamsters local in Illinois, Local 705 Chicago, representing more than 21,000 members. Local 705 is the second-largest teamsters local in the country. He has won four key Latino endorsements because his campaign unites Blacks, Latinos and progressive voters through a common agenda that supports families.

Obama is vying for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, who is not seeking re-election.

Obama, 42, was elected to the State Senate in 1996 and represents Illinois 13th Senate District on Chicago's South Side. He also teaches constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School.

The son of a Kenyan father and mother from Kansas, he is a graduate of Columbia University with a degree in political science and a specialty in international relations. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he served as the first Black president of the Harvard Law Review.

A community organizer before he was elected to the state senate, he directed a voters' registration project that registered 150,000 voters to help Bill Clinton and Carol Moseley Braun get elected in 1992.

He and his wife, attorney Michelle Obama, who is executive director of community affairs at the University of Chicago Hospital, have two daughters, Malia, 4, and Sasha, 2. They reside in Chicago and are members of Trinity United Church of Christ.