United States Senate career of Barack Obama

Barack Obama
United States Senator from Illinois
In office January 3, 2005 – November 16, 2008 Serving with Dick Durbin
Preceded by	Peter Fitzgerald
Succeeded by	Roland Burris
Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs
In office January 3, 2007 – November 16, 2008
Preceded by	George F. Allen
Succeeded by	Jeanne Shaheen

The United States Senate career of Barack Obama began on January 3, 2005, and ended on November 16, 2008. He resigned his seat in the U.S. Senate upon being elected President of the United States. Obama won the seat in an election against Alan Keyes who replaced Republican Primary election winner Jack Ryan.

Prior to his election but after Ryan withdrew from the race, he rose to national prominence by delivering the 2004 Democratic National Convention keynote address. Upon his election, he became the fifth African-American Senator in U.S. history, the third to have been popularly elected.

As a Senator, he served on a variety of committees and chaired the United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs. His bill sponsorship and voting records indicates that he was a loyalist to the Democratic Party. He was considered to be among the most liberal by various analyses. In his first session (109th Congress), he was involved in immigration reform. Legislation bearing his name was passed for armament reduction and federal transparency as well as relief aid.

In the first year of the 110th Congress, he worked on lobbying and campaign finance reform, election reform, climate control and troop reduction. In the second year, he legislated for oversight of certain military discharges, Iran divestment and nuclear terrorism reduction, but President George W. Bush vetoed his legislation for State Children's Health Insurance Program-related military family job protections.