Obama wins seat in Senate

BARACK OBAMA, the son of a Kenyan father and an American mother, who shot from obscurity to political stardom, has become just the third black US senator since the post-Civil War Reconstruction era.

His resounding victory in Illinois is the latest chapter in a rags-to-riches story for a man who grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia barely knowing his father but has become a linchpin of the Democratic Party’s future.

He gave the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention this year, delivering a stirring speech that made him an overnight political sensation.

The 43-year-old from Chicago became a top draw for other Democrats’ campaigns nationwide. The state contest was between a liberal political superstar and a conservative who had never lived in Illinois.

Alan Keyes was not far from the Republicans’ top choice.

Teacher Jack Ryan dropped out of the race three months later after records, were released from his divorce with Star Trek actress Jeri Ryan, revealed lurid allegations about the candidate.

Before entering politics, Obama was the first black president of the prestigious Harvard Law Review and a civil rights lawyer.