Profile: Barack Obama

Washington: Barack Obama, an Illinois Senator, aims to become the first black president of the United States.

Obama's father was born and raised in a village in Kenya. His mother, who was white, grew up in Kansas.

Obama grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia. He earned his law degree from Harvard in 1991 and was the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review.

He is married to wife Michelle and has two young daughters.

He was a member of the Illinois State Senate before being elected to the US Senate. His speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 earned him national attention.

Obama favours withdrawing US troops from Iraq, reducing carbon emissions to fight climate change, and eliminating tax breaks from companies that move jobs overseas.