Lobbying amps up for Obama seat

A prominent surrogate for President-elect Barack Obama is praising Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) as a strong candidate amid stepped-up lobbying for the Senate seat Obama is vacating.

“He has earned the right to be considered for that seat,” Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.) said in an interview with The Hill.

“He has served 13 years in Congress. He is one of the most effective communicators in American politics today,” said Davis. “Regardless of race, Jackson would be a great candidate.”

{mosads}Davis, a frequent Obama surrogate who met the president-elect while both were at Harvard Law School, was the first member of Congress outside of Illinois to endorse Obama. Davis has been rumored for a high-level Cabinet position, such as attorney general, although he dismissed that possibility.

“I have no interest, desire or aspiration in serving in the Obama administration,” said Davis.

Under Illinois law, the choice for Obama’s successor is up to Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

But Blagojevich would almost surely listen to Obama if he made it known who he thinks should take his seat.

Obama’s campaign has not publicly endorsed any candidate for the seat.

Davis’s office said the lawmaker has not had any conversations with Obama about who should succeed him as an Illinois senator. The successor would serve the remainder of Obama’s term, which ends in 2010, and run for reelection if so desired.

Like Davis, Jackson has been a surrogate for Obama, and serves as his national campaign co-chairman. He publicly expressed interest in succeeding Obama after Obama’s victory over John McCain on Tuesday.

“Now that Sen. Obama has won the presidency, I would be honored and humbled to be appointed to succeed him in the U.S. Senate,” the son of civil rights legend Jesse Jackson said in a statement. “But, in the end, the decision rests with Gov. Blagojevich and I’m confident that he’ll make an appointment in the best interest of the state as well as the nation.”

The congressman from Chicago’s South Side isn’t the only one vying for the Senate seat. Other contenders include Tammy Duckworth, who heads the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and Emil Jones Jr., the Illinois state Senate leader and a mentor to Obama.

Other Illinois lawmakers are also said to be interested, including another member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.), and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.).
Race is likely to be an important factor in the governor’s decision, given the fact that Obama was only the third black senator since Reconstruction.

Still, Davis said, race should not be a requirement in calling for Jackson to get the seat.

“There should be no sense of obligation to replace President-elect Obama with a black American,” Davis said. “[Jackson’s] qualifications and merits are enough alone and there shouldn’t be a quota around the United States Senate.”

Danny Davis, however, said race should be a consideration, since African-Americans still face difficulties in being elected to statewide positions across the country.

“Every once in a while, there is a Hank Aaron, but not every year,” Davis said. “There is still work to be done to even the playing field.”

Lobbying for the seat had already begun, said Danny Davis, who has represented Chicago’s West Side in Congress for 11 years. He noted that he’s been endorsed for the seat by the Westside Black Caucus (WBC), a group of elected state black leaders from that part of the city, and that the group’s members have spoken to the governor on his behalf.

With two CBC members campaigning for the same coveted Senate seat, one would expect a replay of the tension that split the caucus during the Democratic primary battle between Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.). But several caucus members said that was unlikely.

“The Democrats in Illinois will look at how they will hold onto the seat for two years, and they should pick the best candidate who can get reelected,” said Rep. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.). “This is one I would not pick sides on.”

Davis and Jackson “are going be waging an internal war for political support in Illinois, not in Washington,” Artur Davis said.