Illinois Primary Victor Is Party’s Senate Hope

CHICAGO —  Hours after his overwhelming primary victory, Barack Obama got a phone call that in many ways signaled his arrival as the new Democratic star in a Senate race with national implications.

The man on the phone Wednesday morning was Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry, who called to congratulate the Ivy League-educated state senator and former civil rights lawyer for his victory.

The Republican candidate, Jack Ryan, faces a daunting task in trying to end Obama’s political honeymoon while uniting a fractured Illinois GOP and deflecting questions about his personal life.

Although 34 Senate seats are up for grabs in November, Democratic leaders have targeted Illinois as a key battleground in their effort to regain control. Obama is seeking to become the third black U.S. senator since Reconstruction.

Illinois is widely seen as leaning Democratic, and has voted Democratic in the last three presidential elections.

Ryan, a millionaire investment banker who became a high school teacher, again refused Wednesday to release all the documents from his 1995 divorce from actress Jeri Ryan of “Star Trek: Voyager” and “Boston Public.” Jack Ryan says he has released everything except documents pertaining to his 9-year-old son.

In the closing days of the Republican primary, Ryan’s opponents hinted that he was withholding some documents because they contained embarrassing information that could damage him in the general election.

Ryan got his own congratulatory call after the primary -- from Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), head of the national Senate Republican Campaign Committee.

Ryan and GOP leaders began trying to slow Obama by defining him as an out-of-touch liberal who would hit voters in the wallet and discourage job growth. They also pointed out that he would be yet another Chicago politician in a state where nearly every key government office is held by a Chicagoan.

“He wants to increase our taxes,” Ryan said at a Republican rally. “That will not increase jobs.”

Meanwhile, Obama portrayed Ryan as the disciple of Republican leaders who were eager to help the rich.

“His answer to the problems of outsourcing and creating new jobs appears to be to provide more tax cuts to people who don’t need them,” Obama said.