Illinois Democrat Cheryle Jackson is joining the race for the Senate seat formerly held by President Obama.

Jackson, the president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League, said in a statement Monday that in her current position, “I’ve seen first hand how empowering a job and opportunity is for all of Illinois.”

“I’ve watched people lost in a cycle of hopelessness and underachievement, and I’ve seen what can happen when people have a chance to compete,” she said. “We have a lot of people in pain, a lot of people anxious and worried in this nation and in our state. We need to get back to the values that made Illinois great — change, community, and opportunity. That’s what my candidacy will be about.”