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OBAMA READY TO RUN U.S. SEN. BARACK OBAMA HASN’T OFFICIALLY DECIDED, BUT LARRY WALSH , HIS FRIEND AND SUPPORTER, BELIEVES:
Herald News, The (Joliet, IL) - January 17, 2007
Author: By Cindy Wojdyla Cain
JOLIET - A few years back, Barack Obama and Larry Walsh were state Senate seatmates who became friends and poker buddies.

Now both men are poised to leap into a game with much higher stakes: a race for the White House.

If U.S. Sen. Barack Obama commits in February to a presidential campaign, it appears Will County Executive Walsh is all in.

Shortly after Obama announced Tuesday he was exploring a run for president and had filed federal paperwork to raise money, Walsh and about 100 other supporters listened in on a conference call as Obama outlined a plan of action for his exploratory committee.

“He just laid a very, very broad agenda of issues, ideas and thoughts he wanted us to work on,” the Elwood Democrat reported.

“... We will create a network here,” Walsh added. “Illinois is his home, his base. I know without a doubt he wants a huge showing coming out of Illinois. That is our basic goal.”

Walsh said he would act as Obama ‘s “eyes and ears” in this part of the state.

“We will bring back ideas and comments from our constituents to him,” Walsh said.

Walsh and Obama both served in the state Senate until November 2004 when Obama won his race for the U.S. Senate and Walsh was elected county executive.

Walsh is close to Obama , said Myron Brick, chairman of the Will County Democratic Party.

” Larry was the first guy in the (state) Senate to endorse Barack’s run for the U.S. Senate,” Brick said. “Barack will never forget it. This is a great thing for Will County.”

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Obama will try to crack airport spat
Daily Southtown (Chicago, IL) - August 16, 2005
Author: Guy Tridgell, Staff writer
Will County, Jackson in bitter battle over Peotone project

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama will take a crack at stopping the bickering over the south suburban airport.

Obama (D-Illinois) is hosting a meeting Monday of the political forces fighting for control of the proposed airport.

Invited are U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-2nd), of Chicago, state Sen. Debbie Halvorson (D-Crete) and Will County Executive Larry Walsh .

Walsh said Obama called about a month ago, offering to broker a meeting involving Walsh , Halvorson and Jackson.

“He asked if I would be willing to sit down with him and Congressman Jackson,” Walsh said. “I told him, point blank, I will meet anytime, anywhere.”

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Halvorson also failed at attempts to get the factions together.

But Obama is close with Jackson.

And Halvorson and Walsh served in the state senate with Obama for almost a decade.

Walsh even sat next to Obama in the state Senate. The two friends regularly got together in Springfield to play poker.

“If there is an opportunity that something could be accomplished, it would be Barack,” Walsh said. “I would think Sen. Obama would be able to do the job.”