Barack Obama
Website: Barack Obama
Blog: Barack's Blog
Videos: Barack on Youtube
Campaign contact: Contact Barack
Although Obama was born in Hawaii and spent time abroad with his mother, his roots as a young man are in Chicago, where he was a community organizer. He later graduated from Harvard Law School, then returned to Chicago to work as a civil rights lawyer. He was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996, and raised his profile by delivering the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. He was elected to the U.S. Senate months later. Obama has made border security, threat reduction, troop withdrawal and clean government his signature issues. He has written two best-selling books, Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope, about his personal journey. Obama is married to Michelle, a lawyer, and they have two daughters.
Did you know: Obama’s election to the Senate was tumultuous. He earned 52% of the vote in the Democratic primary, beating a multimillionaire businessman and the state comptroller. Obama was supposed to face Jack Ryan in the primary, but he withdrew his candidacy after the disclosure that his former wife, actress Jeri Ryan, had made controversial allegations about their sex life. Obama then faced Maryland conservative Republican Alan Keyes, who established residency in Illinois for the campaign. Obama received over 70% of the vote in the 2004 general election.
