If Barack Obama (D-IL) is elected president this November, that will open up a seat in the US Senate for some lucky Illinois Democrat who is in good with Gov. Rod Blagojevich. And a member in good standing of the House Committee for Energy and Commerce has thrown her hat into the ring, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) has made it known that she would be interested in the promotion. She made her announcement on a program on NBC WMAQ, quickly adding that saying any more on the topic would be "unseemly." According to the Sun-Times, another representative, Jesse Jackson Jr., finds the prospect of an easy path into the Senate "intriguing."
RBR/TVBR observation: Illinois, like a lot of states, has starkly contrasted urban and rural constituencies. The result is a House delegation with a wide variety of political styles and ideologies. We would suggest that Schakowsky is on the very leftmost edge of this group, which may make her less than an ideal party selection for a statewide office like the US Senate. But time will tell.
Of course, there are senators from New York and Arizona who are doing their level best to make sure that Obama will get to keep his Senate gig.
