Barack Hussein Obama is the junior United States Senator from Illinois. The U.S. Senate Historical Office lists him as the fifth African American Senator in U.S. history and the only African American currently serving in the U.S. Senate. In February 2007, Obama announced his candidacy for the 2008 U.S. presidential election and have been catapulted to the national limelight. He is among the front-runners for the Democrats nomination along with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Issues he has mainly emphasized ini his campaign are ending the Iraq War and providing universal health care.