
Senator from Arizona, and won the election with 365 electoral votes to McCain’s 173. He faced off against Republican nominee John McCain, a U.S. In 2008, Obama announced his candidacy for President of the United States, running on a platform of change and hope. He also gained national attention for his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, in which he called for national unity and a rejection of divisive politics. Senate, Obama worked on a variety of issues, including healthcare reform, increasing funding for veterans, and strengthening nuclear nonproliferation agreements. Obama won the election with 70% of the vote, becoming the third African American since Reconstruction to be elected to the U.S. Ryan was replaced by Alan Keyes, a conservative pundit and former diplomat who had never lived in Illinois. In the general election, he faced Republican nominee Jack Ryan, a former investment banker and teacher, but Ryan withdrew from the race after a sex scandal. He was able to secure the Democratic nomination after a hard-fought primary against several challengers, including millionaire businessman Blair Hull and former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris. Senate seat left vacant by the retirement of Republican Peter Fitzgerald. He also successfully sponsored legislation requiring the videotaping of all interrogations in capital cases, leading to a decline in the number of false convictions and exonerations. Senate in 2004.ĭuring his time in the Illinois Senate, Obama worked on a number of important initiatives, including reforming the state’s welfare system, increasing funding for education, and improving healthcare access. He served in this position until he was elected to the U.S. In 1996, Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate, representing the 13th District on Chicago’s south side. He worked for several organizations, including Developing Communities Project and Gamaliel Foundation, which focused on addressing poverty and social inequality in low-income neighborhoods. He then moved to Los Angeles to attend Occidental College for two years before transferring to Columbia University in New York City, where he earned a degree in political science.Īfter graduation, Obama worked for a year in New York City before moving to Chicago to become a community organizer. Obama attended Punahou School, a private college preparatory school in Honolulu, from fifth grade until he graduated in 1979. Obama was raised by his mother and her parents in Hawaii. His parents divorced when he was two years old, and his father moved back to Kenya.

His father, Barack Obama Sr., was a Kenyan student studying in the United States at the time, and his mother, Ann Dunham, was an American anthropologist. He was the first African American President in the country’s history and his election in 2008 marked a significant milestone in American politics.īarack Hussein Obama II was born on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Photo-1580130379624-3a069adbffc5.jpeg 1080×1471 174 KBīarack Obama is a former President of the United States, having served two terms from 2009 to 2017.
