Downstate senator James Clayborne Jr. (D-57th) won the vote of confidence from the state’s Black Caucus to fill retiring Senate President Emil Jones’ post in January, the Defender learned.
The nine-member caucus met about two weeks ago and chose Clayborne over state Sen. Rickey Hendon (D- 5th) as their top tier candidate for the senate president post, said the caucus’s chair, state Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-13th).
“He’s in a unique position to put it all together. He’s from downstate, and he can attract support from the downstate caucus. He is the vest viable candidate that would look after the disadvantaged (urban and rural) communities,” Raoul told the Defender last week about the senator from East St. Louis, Ill.
Clayborne, an assistant majority leader, is one of three African American state senators, along with Hendon and Donne Trotter (D-17th), interested in filling the Senate presidency.
Seven of the nine caucus members chose Clayborne.
You know I can't say I ever thought that Sen. Trotter wanted to be Senate President. Trotter represents some of the 6th Ward if you'd like to know. In any event at least they're looking downstate for a sucessor to Jones. Of course the Senate Black Caucus isn't the group who will decide who will become the new Senate President.
I saw an episode of Public Affairs today where Jeff Berkowitz and his guest State Senator Dan Rutherford discusses who might be good choices to fill the slot of Senate President.
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