By Catharine Richert, CQ Staff

In addition to those who won Senate seats this week, two other new members will join the Senate in the 111th Congress to replace the winning presidential ticket of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and Delaware Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr.

The Democratic governors of those two states will choose replacements for Democrats Obama and Biden, which means another short, intense round of politicking. Each replacement would serve until the 2010 election.

The Illinois appointment is complicated by the political situation of Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich , who is under federal investigation for possible corruption and could be impeached by the state legislature before his term expires at the end of 2010.

In light of that situation, Charles N. Wheeler III, an associate professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Springfield, predicted that Blagojevich “will be looking out for his own self interest” in selecting a Senate appointee — “someone who might help him out of his current straits.”

Blagojevich could appoint himself to the Senate, but Wheeler and others who follow Illinois politics say other options are equally or more likely. Among the potential appointees is Emil Jones, president of the Illinois State Senate, who is an Obama mentor and one of Blagojevich’s few friends in the state legislature. Also mentioned is Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who is the daughter of Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, a bitter opponent of Blagojevich on spending issues.

Another possible appointee is Iraq veteran Tammy Duckworth, who narrowly lost a House race in 2006. Also being mentioned are two House Democrats from Illinois, Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. , an early supporter of Obama, and Rep. Danny K. Davis , a former Chicago city councilman.

In any case, Blagojevich is unlikely to want direction from Obama on the decision, and he is unlikely to get it. “Obama will not step foot into Illinois politics. It’s a minefield,” said Paul Green, a professor of policy studies at Roosevelt University in Chicago. “He’d go to Kabul before he’d go to Springfield.”

The situation in Delaware also contains complexities. Biden has been said for some time to be grooming his eldest son, State Attorney General Joseph R. “Beau” Biden III, to succeed him in the Senate. The younger Biden would be a logical choice for appointment by retiring Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner .

But Beau Biden is a National Guard officer who is scheduled to serve in Iraq until October 2009. A placeholder appointee is possible until then, such as Delaware Secretary of State Harriet Smith Windsor or Lt. Gov. John C. Carney Jr.

Carney is the state party’s choice, said Joseph Pika, a political science professor at the University of Delaware, but he might want to keep the seat.

“Biden would probably raise problems if he caught wind of the fact that someone who would aspire for a long-term career is appointed,” Pika said.