January 3rd, 2009, Joe Biden will be sworn in for his seventh term as United States Senator from the state of Delaware. He and Barack Obama will be there for the certification of their own election to be the President and Vice President.
Just over two weeks later, they will be sworn in as the 44th President and 47th Vice President.
That brings us to the two vacancies.
DELAWARE TITLE 15:CHAPTER 73: Subchapter 1
Governor Ruth Ann Minner is due to leave office on January 20th. Once Joe Biden resigns, she is able to name a replacement to fill the vacancy until such time as a permanent replacement can be named.
I'd love to see her appoint Attorney General Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III, but his current 'second job' makes it impossible for him to be effective for the near term, and may hurt his chances in the upcoming special election.
Biden wins 7th Senate term but may not serve
Delaware political observers have long speculated that Biden was grooming his son, state Attorney General Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III, to succeed him.
But Beau Biden also is a captain in the Delaware National Guard and is about to deploy to Iraq for a nine-month stint as a military prosecutor. Military policy would bar him from performing the duties of any elective office while on active duty, and being the son of a vice president-elect would not lead to his deployment ending early, said Lt. Col. George Wright, an Army spokesman.
Whoever is appointed would serve for two years; voters in 2010 would fill the remaining four years of the term. That timetable has led to speculation that Minner would appoint a caretaker who would step aside in 2010, allowing Beau Biden to run.
I think this is the best solution for Delaware.
On to Illinois, which faces a similar situation.
Democrats still in the quest for 60 Senate seats
Under Illinois law, if a U.S. Senate seat becomes vacant, the governor appoints a replacement to fill the vacancy. That appointed senator serves until the next scheduled federal election year, in this case, 2010.
Obama was elected in 2004 and would have been up for re-election in 2010 anyway, thus the appointed senator would serve for the rest of Obama's term. The governor of Illinois is Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat.
Speculation Over Obama's Senate Seat
Some good names there, including the one I'd like to see Governor Blagojevich choose, Tammy Duckworth. That is, if Obama doesn't want her for his Secreatary of Veteran's Affairs. Remember her?