When former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was looking for a Senate candidate to fill Barack Obama’s empty seat back in December 2008, he wanted a “black Albert Einstein” or a “Mother Teresa type.” That’s where Oprah Winfrey came in.
In tapes released of phone conversations between Blago and Chief of Staff John Harris, it’s clear Winfrey was Blagojevich’s top pick to fill Obama’s Senate seat, NBC Chicago reports.
“She’s a kingmaker!” Blagojevich said. “She made Obama.”
Blagojevich, who preferred a black candidate, thought Winfrey’s fame would make her a likely choice.
Also on Blagojevich’s shortlist: Melody Spann Cooper of WVON radio, Linda Johnson Rice of Johnson Publishing, and Jesse Jackson Jr., whom he desperately wanted to avoid choosing.
“I don’t want to create an opportunity for him in two years,” Blagojevich said of Jackson.
