By AP/KWMU
Chicago – As Illinois Republicans scrambled to find a U.S. Senate candidate, the deputy director of President Bush's drug-control office resigned Friday to explore a run for the office.
Andrea Grubb Barthwell had been deputy director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy since January 2002.
Federal law barred her from seeking the Republican nomination while she worked for the government.
Michael Barnes, an attorney and friend of Barthwell, says she will talk to Illinois GOP officials to gauge their interest in having her run.
If Barthwell is picked to face off against Democrat Barack Obama, it would be the first time in U.S. history that two black candidates have battled for a Senate seat.
Before being nominated deputy drug czar in 2001, Barthwell was a doctor in the Chicago area.