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Illinois Lawmaker Steps Up US Senate Campaign
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| Contributor | Gerald Farinas |
| Last Edited | Gerald Farinas Mar 10, 2004 05:11pm |
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| Category | News |
| Media | News Service - Associated Press |
| News Date | Wednesday, March 10, 2004 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Illinois Lawmaker Steps Up US Senate Campaign
The Honolulu Advertiser
No one doubted that state Sen. Barack Obama had the credentials to run for the U.S. Senate, but many questioned his chances against a field that includes a multimillionaire political newcomer and a son of a Democratic power broker. Now the Ivy League-educated law school instructor has taken the lead in a seven-way Democratic primary, with the help of a divorce scandal that has enmeshed a wealthier rival and an enormously effective TV ad.
The race to fill the seat being vacated by Sen. Peter Fitzgerald is shaping up to be one of the year's most high-profile and expensive campaigns in the battle over who will control the narrowly divided Senate. Democrats consider it a crucial seat if they are to regain the majority. Seven of the 15 Republicans and Democrats on the ballot are millionaires, led by former futures trader Blair Hull, who has spent about $29 million of his fortune so far.
Any Democrat is almost certain to go into the fall campaign against a novice - only one of the seven Republican candidates has any government experience, and he is trailing badly in polls.
If elected, he would become only the third black candidate popularly elected to the Senate in the past century. One of them was former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun, who was defeated by Fitzgerald after one term. |
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