who are the two current senators of illinois?
Dick Durbin
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 Professional life in Illinois : this design features Lincoln as a young lawyer , standing before the Springfield Illinois State Capitol . It was designed by Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by Don Everhart . It was made available on August 13 , 2009 . 

entailment
 Due to the controversy over the effects of the Seventeenth Amendment , advocates have emerged for both reform and / or repeal of the amendment . Under President Barack Obama 's administration in 2009 , four sitting Democratic senators left the Senate for appointed executive branch positions : Barack Obama ( President ) , Joe Biden ( Vice President ) , Hillary Rodham Clinton ( Secretary of State ) , and Ken Salazar ( Secretary of the Interior ) . Controversies developed about the successor appointments made by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and New York Governor David Paterson . New interest was aroused in abolishing the provision for the Senate appointment by the governor . 

entailment
 In an unusual political circumstance , the 2001 legislative elections returned a senate with equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats , with each party having 20 senators . Both sides negotiated to choose two senators from their respective parties to serve as co @-@ presidents . Because of an 8 @-@ day gap between the seating of the new state legislature and the inauguration of Governor @-@ elect Jim McGreevey , four men held the position of acting governor : 

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 = = = First two terms in U.S. Senate = = = 

entailment
 Illinois quickly proceeded along the steps to statehood . Its constitution was finished in August 1818 ; elections were held in September ; and in October , the first General Assembly met in Kaskaskia . On October 6 , Ninian Edwards stepped down , and Shadrach Bond was inaugurated as Illinois ' first governor . The following day the new state legislature voted for Illinois ' two members of the U.S. Senate . Edwards was quickly chosen on the first ballot ; his rival Thomas was only elected after the fourth . Edwards and Thomas then drew straws to determine their respective terms : Thomas was placed in Class II of the Senate and could serve until 1823 , while Edwards was placed in Class III and had to face reelection in February 1819 . Edwards and Thomas still had to wait for Congress to formally ratify Illinois ' constitution and admission to the Union , which it did on November 25 . On December 3 the two Senators were finally seated , leaving Edwards with a mere three months in his first term . 
