Before Barack Obama’s victory, thinking about the possibility of having two Black U.S. senators would have been more unlikely than having a Black president of the United States. But right now there is at least the possibility, given the expected asc
Before Barack Obama’s victory, thinking about the possibility of having two Black U.S. senators would have been more unlikely than having a Black president of the United States. But right now there is at least the possibility, given the expected ascendancy of both Obama and Hillary Clinton to the ranks of the presidency and secretary of state respectively.
In Illinois, the decision lies with Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich.
However, it is widely expected that because Obama is African American and there were none previously in the U. S. Senate that his replacement should be an African American. At present, several prominent Black politicians have emerged to claim the seat, such as: U. S. Reps. Danny Davis and Jesse Jackson Jr. But it has also attracted Emil Jones, Illinois State Senate President, an early mentor of Obama’s who is retiring.
Rep. Danny Davis has the backing of West Side Black Elected Officials organization. Emil Jones, however, has cultivated a good relationship with the governor and in his role as State Senate President and has served all parts of the State of Illinois, but his age of 73 raises the question of whether he would be a “placeholder” for someone else, a posture U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois opposes.
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., has campaigned most feverishly for the post, having commissioned and distributed a Zogby poll that indicates that he would be favored by Illinois voters, by 21 percent to 14 percent for his closest rival Tammy Duckworth, Illinois Veteran’s Affairs Director, with a favorable rating more positive than Duckworth’s at 43 percent to 22 percent.
Positive statements from Southern suburban residents also appear on his website touting his bringing over $600 million to that area.
Ultimately, the choice made by Gov. Blagojevich has to strengthen his own reelection chances, which means that whoever is selected has to also be strong in downstate Illinois where African American candidates have often been weak.
Durbin’s view is that the person has to demonstrate strength among all of Illinois’ 102 counties, but then his views have often not been followed by the Governor.
In New York, while the rationale for picking an African American may not be as strong as in Illinois, still Governor David Paterson will choose from a field that features some prominent persons such as: Byron Brown, Buffalo’s Mayor and a former State Senator; New York City Comptroller William Thompson; and U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks.
Rep. Meeks, a 10-year veteran in the Congress, undoubtedly gained notice for his outspoken support of Hillary Clinton’s bid for the Democratic nomination.
He recently said on MSNBC-TV that he “would serve if called.” Lesser known, Mayor Byron Brown would fill the bill of those urging Paterson to pick someone from upstate New York, thus strengthening his own re-election bid.
William Thompson is a popular figure in New York City politics whose appointment could help him avoid a bruising battle for mayor against sitting Mayor Bloomberg who has just been supported by the City Council for a third term. Then, although he is not mentioned much, a surprise pick could be former State Comptroller Carl McCall who is known to be close to Governor Paterson.
Although there is much hope for a Black replacement for Barack Obama from one of these sources, the key factor here is what will help the sitting governor win re-election. Blagojevich is under investigation by the feds for standard “pay-to-play” Illinois politics and will need a popular figure statewide to help him over the hump and that could diminish the chances for Blacks who are not popular with downstate white voters. Also, it would be a smart move for Paterson to take out the main rival for his re-election, Andrew Cuomo, who is running ahead in the polls for the replacement seat right now.
So, on both counts, I think that it’s far from a sure thing that there will be a Black replacement for Obama, in fact, it’s really cross your fingers time.
Ron Walters is the Distinguished Leadership Scholar, Director of the African American Leadership Institute and a professor at the University of Maryland College Park.
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