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Obama: Finding bonds in different worlds
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 | Race for the presidency The trips, the speeches, and the moments of Decision ’08. A look at the campaigns of Barack Obama and John McCain. more photos |
Back in Chicago, Obama joined a small civil rights firm, ran a voter registration drive and lectured on constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School.
In 1996, he won a state Senate seat representing Hyde Park — the South Side neighborhood that encompasses the prestigious university as well as pockets of deep inner-city poverty.
He became known as a pragmatist who'd cross party lines, working with Republicans and other Democrats.
Obama helped change laws governing the death penalty, ethics and racial profiling, and he won tax credits for the working poor. But he failed in his campaign for universal health care.
As a newcomer in the clubby atmosphere of Springfield, Obama also encountered cold shoulders. Some lawmakers initially thought he was a bit arrogant.
Obama's roots and his style — he avoids the racially tinged rhetoric some black politicians use — have long stirred debate about his racial identity. Some black leaders and commentators have questioned whether he is "black enough."
Obama says there never has been any question about his being black.
"If you look at African-American in society, you're treated as an African-American," he said in a CBS "60 Minutes" interview last year. "And when you're a child in particular that is how you begin to identify yourself."
The issue of race, took center stage this spring after incendiary remarks by Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, threatened to derail his campaign. In a pivotal speech in Philadelphia, Obama addressed the controversy in broader terms, calling on the nation to break the "racial stalemate we've been stuck in for years."
Three years into his legislative career, Obama, both restless and ambitious, challenged U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, a veteran with deep roots in the community.
Obama was trounced. But he wasn't deterred.
Two years later, he began plotting his next move — a campaign for the U.S. Senate.
'Change we believe in'
Obama launched his national political career with a stirring keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
The buzz began that very night. Commentators and politicians touted him as a possible White House contender.
Four months later, Obama, buoyed by some lucky breaks, won the U.S. Senate seat in a landslide.
He seemed to have the Midas touch: Two best-selling books, two Grammy awards for recording them, magazine covers, TV appearances, invitations galore.
After first saying he had no intention of running for president, he changed his mind and announced his candidacy in February 2007 on the steps of the Old Capitol in Springfield.
And so began a 16-month endurance test.
He filled giant arenas on the campaign trail, wooing voters with his soaring oratory, message of "change we can believe in" and vows to end the war in Iraq.
He racked up large majorities among black, young and college-educated voters but had a much harder time winning over seniors, working-class voters and some women.
Mr. President?
Along the way, his campaign collected nearly $265 million — an unprecedented amount — from about 1.5 million contributors, most of them ponying up small amounts online.
But Obama stumbled, too. He faced repeated questions about his judgment because of his association with his controversial former pastor and finally denounced Wright's comments as "divisive and destructive." And he had to backtrack when he called small-town residents bitter — comments his critics said were elitist.
By May, his campaign was back on track and Obama visited the floor of U.S. House.
He was swarmed by well-wishers, shaking his hand, patting him on the back.
Some were even calling him "Mr. President."
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