Obama's in The House?

Minor, underdeveloped question I've been kicking around in my head for a while now.

Everybody who wants to do so can very easily look up the electoral history of Barack H. Obama online. He served in the Illinois General Assembly from 1996 to 2004 when he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served until elected President in 2008. What some people don't know is, his Senate campaign was not his first bid to go to Washington. In the year 2000 he launched a campaign to win the Democratic Party's nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois' 1st Congressional District, but he lost in the primaries to Bobby Rush by a margin of two votes to one. Rush went on to win the House seat in a true landslide. He got more than 80% and brutally crushed a Republican opponent who couldn't even get 13%. Rush was the incumbent and well-liked in his District.

Now, let's go to Fantasy Land here for a minute and speculate. What if something happens to Rush before or during the primaries? Suppose he gets ill, or dies unexpectedly, or just decides he's had enough of Washington and really wants to go home. Obama was second (albeit a distant second), and the numbers show that Raymond Wardingley, the Republican candidate, was unlikely to beat almost anybody who showed up on the Democratic side in the election, so it's probably safe to imagine that Obama would have won such a contest.

Once in the House of Representatives, what happens to Mr. Obama? Does he manage to get the attention and notoriety necessary to attain the Presidency in '08? Does that come later, or not at all? If he does wind up being unable to move beyond the House, or possibly the Senate, should he make it there, who does his party choose in '08, and who do the Republicans choose to oppose that person?
 
Interesting question, would he have run for the Senate? If not is he still the keynote speaker in 04? Could he have gotten the attention he needed to run for president in 08?
 
He runs for and wins the Senate seat in 2004, still gives the keynote, and still runs for President, with the minor difference of having two terms in the House under his belt as well. This will make the "inexperience" charges less credible, but otherwise his career will be the same.
 
I could see him running for Governor in 2002. Or say Dick Durbin is appointed to some Cabinet post (under Gore, obviously), he could run for the Senate in 2002.
 
I could see him running for Governor in 2002. Or say Dick Durbin is appointed to some Cabinet post (under Gore, obviously), he could run for the Senate in 2002.
Being a one term Congressman seeking the Senate is a little far fetched. Look at the 2004 Georgia Senate election, for example.
 
Congressman to Senator is a less drastic jump than State General Assemblyman to Senator, I'd say.

Plus the 2004 Georgia race had it's own set of problems,to quote wikipedia

A number of factors led to Isakson's victory. These include the Democrat's late start, her valuable time and money spent in the runoff, larger conservative turnout from proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages (which Majette opposed), the popularity of President George W. Bush, and her lack of experience (being a one term congresswoman).

Plus I think Illinois and Obama's skills could overturn the race, especially if the Jack Ryan implosion happens per OTL.
 
I suppose... but the House is much more national and 'important', better for the Senate run.
If he were in the State House like OTL, he would have more influence in general. It takes three or four terms to build seniority in Congress, something he already had in Illinois. Of course, it is not impossible for a one term Congressperson to get a nice committee assignment or a fair amount of TV air time. My former Congressman, Allen West, is a good example of that.
 
On the subject of the POD itself, in October of 1999, Bobby Rush's sun Huey was murdered. OTL, this gave Rush a lot of sympathy, and Obama's absence from a responsive gun control vote hurt his support. Now, you could just have the son not get murdered, or, you could have the death of his son make Rush drop out of the race.
 
On the subject of the POD itself, in October of 1999, Bobby Rush's sun Huey was murdered. OTL, this gave Rush a lot of sympathy, and Obama's absence from a responsive gun control vote hurt his support. Now, you could just have the son not get murdered, or, you could have the death of his son make Rush drop out of the race.

The only real way for Obama to win is if Rush himself gets murdered.
 
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