Two blacks could be headed to the U.S. Senate

The departure of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton from the U.S. Senate has opened up possibilities for blacks in Illinois and New York.

In Illinois, the attention has focused on Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who some African Americans in Chicago are pushing to replace Obama and continue a tradition of black representation from the Land of Lincoln.

Even before Obama, Carol Moseley Braun served the state as its first black senator in the 1990s. Obama followed in her footsteps and Jackson could follow in his. The decision rests with Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat.

Jackson is not alone in the hopes of filling Obama's seat. Rep. Danny Davis, Illinois State Senate President Emil Jones and former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris have also thrown their hats in the ring, according to NNPA columnist Ron Walters.

In New York, the attention has turned to a previously little known African American mayor of Buffalo, Byron Brown, who because of his location upstate, his support from other mayors and his race, may have a good shot of becoming the Empire State's first black senator just a year after David Paterson became its first black governor. Paterson, of course, will make the selection.

Other factors will weigh on Paterson's decision besides race and geography. The governor may also be thinking about his own re-election campaign and could use the Senate choice as a way to elevate a political rival, such as Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, and remove him as a threat in the governor's race.

But with Mayor Brown a known contender for the job, Governor Paterson may find it difficult to skip over a qualified African American candidate from upstate to pick a well-known establishment figure like Cuomo. The New York Times reports that a number of elected officials from western New York are publicly urging Paterson to appoint Brown, thus heightening the pressure.

Like Illinois, New York has quite a few high profile African American political figures, and Brown is by no means the only black candidate on the list. Other contenders include New York City Comptroller William Thompson and U. S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, according to Walters.

One of the biggest questions facing the two Democratic governors will likely be who can hold the seat when it's time for the next election. Jackson is already trying to prove his bonafides by releasing a poll last month showing he would beat the other contenders for the job. And Brown may have an electoral advantage by being able to appeal to more conservative upstate New Yorkers where he serves, while still appealing to residents of New York City because of his race.

Either way, we could be in for a major change in the U.S. Senate, which currently has no African American members thanks to Obama's resignation last month. In 2009, we could have two new black senators, we could have one, or we could have none.