"Barack" and "Obama" redirect here. For other uses, see Barack (disambiguation) and Obama (disambiguation). Barack Obama

Junior Senator from Illinois Incumbent Assumed office  January 4, 2005 Serving with Richard Durbin Preceded by Peter Fitzgerald Member of the Illinois State Senate from the 13th district In office January 8, 1997 – November 4, 2004 Preceded by Alice J. Palmer Succeeded by Kwame Raoul Born August 4, 1961 (1961-08-04) (age 46) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. Nationality American Political party Democratic Spouse Michelle Obama (m. 1992) Children Malia Ann (b. 1998), Natasha ("Sasha") (b. 2001) Residence (Kenwood), Chicago, Illinois Alma mater Occidental College, Columbia University, Harvard Law School Profession Attorney Religion Christian: (United Church of Christ) Signature

Website Barack Obama - U.S. Senator for Illinois The Barack Obama series v • d • e Early life and career · (Memoir) Illinois Senate career U.S. Senate career 2008 presidential campaign Political positions Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. (born August 4, 1961) is the junior United States Senator from Illinois, a candidate for the Democratic Party's nomination in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, and author of two best-selling books. He is married to Michelle Obama, with whom he has two daughters. Born to a Kenyan father and a white American mother, he spent most of his childhood and adolescent years in Honolulu, Hawaii. At age six, he moved to Jakarta, Indonesia, where he lived with his mother and Indonesian stepfather for four years. A graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, Obama worked as a community organizer, university professor,[1] and lawyer before serving in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. Following an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, he announced his campaign for U.S. Senate in January 2003. After winning a landslide primary victory in March 2004 to become the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Obama delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2004 with 70% of the vote. As a member of the Democratic minority in the 109th Congress, he cosponsored legislation to control conventional weapons and to promote greater public accountability in the use of federal funds. He also made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In the current 110th Congress, he has sponsored legislation regarding lobbying and electoral fraud, climate change, nuclear terrorism, and care for returned U.S. military personnel. Since announcing his presidential campaign in February 2007, Obama has emphasized ending the war in Iraq, increasing energy independence, and providing universal health care as top national priorities.