Obama sits out fight over his Senate seat: Will Illinois Seat Stay Black?

From Politico [HERE]

President-elect Barack Obama says he’ll not dictate his Senate replacement, making him one of very few Illinois politicians sitting out the fight over the seat.  “There are going to be a lot of good choices out there, but it is the governor's decision to make, not mine,” Obama told reporters Friday in Chicago.

The angling over the Democratic senator’s seat, which he has not yet vacated, has intensified since his election as president. Political insiders continue to float a myriad of powerful players as possible successors, including Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, state Veterans' Affairs director Tammy Duckworth, state Senate President Emil Jones Jr. – and Democratic Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr., Melissa Bean, Luis Gutierrez and Jan Schakowsky.  Additionally, Obama associates say Valerie Jarrett, a close Obama adviser and family friend, may be under consideration, even as she helps direct Obama’s presidential transition team.

The choice ultimately falls to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a decision that gives the unpopular Democrat increased political capital.  Blagojevich has been besieged by by requests and lobbying for different candidates. He’s under immense political pressure to fill the seat with an African American to replace Obama, now the only black senator. African-American voters have been some of the governor’s strongest backers during his six years in office, although even their support has waned in recent months as his administration has become mired in several federal criminal investigations.

Blagojevich has said he’s “not interested” in appointing himself, but did not completely rule out the option in Wednesday’s meeting with reporters.

Jackson, who was Obama’s national campaign co-chairman, is publicly lobbying for the job, saying he’d be "honored and humbled" to replace Obama.

Another prominent Obama surrogate, Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.), is already pushing for Jackson.

“He has earned the right to be considered for that seat,” Davis told The Hill, calling Jackson “one of the most effective communicators in American politics today.”

But Jackson and Blagojevich are barely on speaking terms, according to Chicago political insiders, after disagreeing over the building of an airport in the city’s southern suburbs.

Another Blagojevich rival, Attorney General Madigan, is also being mentioned. And naming her to the Senate, some Illinois pols argue, would remove her as a potential challenger if Blagojevich decided to seek re-election in 2010.

Blagojevich, however, has had a contentious relationship with Madigan’s father, House Speaker Michael Madigan, who last June circulated talking points to Democratic legislative candidates outlining possible impeachment proceedings against the governor.

That feud could give an opening to Jones, an Obama mentor and one of Blagojevich’s few friends in the state Legislature. The 73-year-old state senator is retiring, but has said he would consider becoming Obama’s successor in Washington.

In Washington, Democrats are pushing Duckworth, who narrowly lost her 2006 bid for the House. A disabled veteran of the war in Iraq, she is close to both Obama and his newly selected White House chief of staff, Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.).

Bean’s name has been floated, too, but the centrist Democratic congresswoman relishes her post on the House Financial Services Committee, said a source close to her. She’s worked closely with the chairman, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), and believes the financial crisis continues to make her role there an important one.

Blagojevich has no official timetable to fill the seat, but has hinted that he’ll decide before Christmas. Obama will be sworn in as president on Jan. 20.