Wikipedia's entry for Obama's Senate race in 2004
Britannica Online's entry for Obama's Senate race in 2004
In mid‐2002, Obama began considering a run for the U.S. Senate; he enlisted political strategist David Axelrod that fall and formally announced his candidacy in January 2003.[54] Decisions by Republican incumbent Peter Fitzgerald and his Democratic predecessor Carol Moseley Braun not to contest the race launched wide‐open Democratic and Republican primary contests involving fifteen candidates.[55] Obama's candidacy was boosted by Axelrod's advertising campaign featuring images of the late Chicago Mayor Harold Washington and an endorsement by the daughter of the late Paul Simon, former U.S. Senator for Illinois.[56] He received over 52% of the vote in the March 2004 primary, emerging 29% ahead of his nearest Democratic rival.[57] In July 2004, Obama wrote and delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, Massachusetts.[58]After describing his maternal grandfather's experiences as a World War II veteran and a beneficiary of the New Deal's FHA and G.I. Billprograms, Obama spoke about changing the U.S. government's economic and social priorities. He questioned the Bush administration's management of the Iraq War and highlighted America's obligations to its soldiers. Drawing examples from U.S. history, he criticized heavily partisan views of the electorate and asked Americans to find unity in diversity, saying, "There is not a liberal America and a conservative America; there's the United States of America."[59] Though it was not televised by the three major broadcast news networks, a combined 9.1 million viewers watching on PBS, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and C‐SPAN saw Obama's speech, which was a highlight of the convention and confirmed his status as the Democratic Party's brightest new star.[60] Obama's expected opponent in the general election, Republican primary winner Jack Ryan, withdrew from the race in June 2004.[61] Two months later and less than three months before Election Day, Alan Keyes accepted the Illinois Republican Party's nomination to replace Ryan.[62] A long‐ time resident of Maryland, Keyes established legal residency in Illinois with the nomination.[63] In the November 2004 general election, Obama received 70% of the vote to Keyes's 27%, the largest victory margin for a statewide race in Illinois history.[64]
In 2004 he was elected to the U.S. Senate, defeating Republican Alan Keyes in the first U.S. Senate race in which the two leading candidates were African Americans. While campaigning for the U.S. Senate, Obama gained national recognition by delivering the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004. The speech wove a personal narrative of Obama’s biography with the theme that all Americans are connected in ways that transcend political, cultural, and geographical differences. The address lifted Obama’s once obscure memoir onto best‐ seller lists, and, after taking office the following year, Obama quickly became a major figure in his party. A trip to visit his father’s home in Kenya in August 2006 gained international media attention, and Obama’s star continued ascending. His second book, The Audacity of Hope (2006), a mainstream polemic on his vision for the United States, was published weeks later, instantly becoming a major best seller. In February 2007 he announced at the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., whereAbraham Lincoln had served as a state legislator, that he would seek the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 2008.
Wikipedia's entry for Tim Kaine (as Governor) On January 31, 2006, he gave the Democratic response to President Bush's 2006 State of the Union address. In his response, he argued that the Republicans failed to support bipartisanship in Washington and condemned Bush's spending increases and tax cuts as "reckless".[citation needed] In March 2006, after the Virginia General Assembly failed to create a budget, Governor Kaine called for a special session that continued until June. The debate was over transportation issues and how to fund current and new projects. Most of the debate came from a battle within the Republican controlled Senate and House of Delegates. In 2007, however, a transportation bill was passed and signed into law by Kaine.[citation needed] In May 2006, Governor Kaine announced his plan to conserve 400,000 acres (1,600 km2) of Virginia real property from development before the end of his administration as Governor of Virginia.[16] The Commonwealth of Virginia's landowners favor land conservation although Virginia lags behind other states' per capita expenditures on land conservation.[17] As of 2007, according to government statistics, Maryland spends as much as $21 per capita on land conservation, while Virginia spends $1.45.[18] On the other hand, Virginia also has a higher proportion of its total land area under permanent protection than many other states, with about 13.69% of it currently protected.[19] In June 2006, Kaine signed an executive order banning smoking in all government buildings and state‐owned cars.[20] He also announced that Virginia will be the first state in the Union to digitize records from the Civil War Era Freedman's Bureau. This will open up research in African‐ American history after the Civil War.[21] Tim Kaine has signaled his support for vaccinating sixth‐grade girls in Virginia with the HPV vaccine. In 2007, Virginia, along with twenty other states, was considering a law to expand such vaccinations. As such, in 2007, the Republican‐controlled state
Britannica Online's entry for Tim Kaine
legislature passed a law that mandated such vaccinations, while allowing parents to opt out of the requirement without citing a reason. After expressing "some qualms", Kaine signed the bill into law.[22] Gov. Kaine with U.S. SenatorsJohn Warner and George Allen When news of the Virginia Tech massacre broke, Kaine canceled a trade mission to Japan and India to attend to the situation.[citation needed] Kaine spoke at the convocation held in Blacksburg the day after the shooting in which he invoked the Biblical story of Job to bring solace to the tearful crowd.[citation needed]Kaine said he would appoint a panel of independent law enforcement officials to examine what the university knew about the student responsible for the massacre, which killed 32 people. The commission, led by a former state police chief and former governor and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, began work on April 28, 2007, and issued their findings and recommendations on August 30, 2007. OnApril 30, 2007 Governor Kaine signed an executive order instructing state agencies to step up efforts to block gun sales to people involuntarily committed to inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment centers.[23] Appearing alongside Attorney General Bob McDonnell (R), Kaine said the order would help prevent people like the shooter from illegally obtaining firearms in the future. In July 2007, Kaine stepped in to support an above‐ ground solution to the debate on building Silver Line of the Washington Metro throughTyson's Corner. Some people disagreed and preferred a tunnel.[24] During the 2008 General Assembly session, Governor Kaine backed $22 million expansion to increase the accessibility of Pre‐K education for at‐risk four‐year‐olds.[25] Kaine has earned opposition from environmentalists for supporting a coal‐fired power plant in Wise County [26] that will emit an estimated 5.4 million tons of carbon dioxide per year [27]. In a radio interview, Kaine said "We are not going to eliminate coal, a native source that we have, as one of the sources that will power our
country." [edit]Cabinet Chief of Staff ‐ William Leighty (2006‐2007), Wayne Turnage (2007‐Present) Secretary of Administration ‐ Viola Baskerville (2006‐Present) Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry ‐ Robert Bloxom (2006‐Present) Secretary of Commerce and Trade ‐ Patrick Gottschalk (2006‐Present) Secretary of the Commonwealth ‐ Katherine Hanley (2006‐Present) Secretary of Education ‐ Thomas Morris (2006‐Present) Secretary of Finance ‐ Jody Wagner (2006‐ 2008), Richard D. Brown (2008‐Present) Secretary of Health and Human Resources ‐ Marilyn Tavenner (2006‐Present) Secretary of Natural Resources ‐ Preston Bryant (2006‐Present) Secretary of Public Safety ‐ John W. Marshall (2006‐Present) Secretary of Technology ‐ Aneesh Chopra (2006‐Present) Secretary of Transportation ‐ Pierce Homer (2006‐Present) Assistant for Commonwealth Preparedness ‐ Robert P. Crouch (2006‐Present) Senior Advisor for Workforce ‐ Daniel G. LeBlanc (2006‐Present)