While details of the 76-page criminal complaint against the governor remain unclear and it’s still uncertain whether the state lawmakers will pass legislation calling for a special Senate election, the key players who could shape the next several weeks—or ultimately end up as Obama’s successor—are beginning to emerge.

Incoming Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel 

Relationship to Blagojevich: Emanuel won the House seat Blagojevich vacated in 2002 to run for governor.

Mention in the criminal complaint: Emanuel’s office has declined to say whether he is the “president-elect adviser” referred to in the document. 

Senate seat angle: On Thursday, a Chicago Fox affiliate reported that Emanuel spoke multiple times with Blagojevich about who would replace Obama in the U.S. Senate. The Chicago Tribune reported Friday that Emanuel delivered a list of candidates who would be "acceptable" to Obama.

A source who has been briefed on the investigation told Politico Friday that Emanuel is not a target of the federal corruption probe.

Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett

Relationship to Blagojevich: According to court documents, Blagojevich believed Jarrett was Obama’s preferred candidate for the Senate seat. As such, the governor hoped a Jarrett appointment could be leveraged into a high-paying job at Change to Win or possibly even a Cabinet appointment.

Mention in the criminal complaint: Widely believed to be “Senate candidate 1.”

Senate seat angle: Jarrett withdrew her name from Senate consideration in November. Obama campaign senior advisor David Axelrod said Friday that she withdrew her interest after the president-elect let it be known he wanted her in his administration.

“Valerie Jarrett is a longtime friend, adviser, very able person, and his preference was always that she serve in the White House, and ultimately he expressed that to her,” Axelrod said during an appearance at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. “That's why she made the decision. No one in their wildest imagination could have imagined the situation that ensued.”

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.

Relationship to Blagojevich: The two served together in the House. In 1999, Blagojevich traveled to Belgrade with Jackson’s father, the noted civil rights leader, to negotiate the release of U.S. prisoners of war.

Mention in the criminal complaint: His lawyer has acknowledged Jackson is “Senate candidate 5.” 

Senate seat angle: Jackson met with Blagojevich for 90 minutes on Monday, the day before the governor’s arrest, to discuss his interest in the Senate seat. While he has publicly acknowledged his interest in Obama’s Senate seat, Jackson has denied offering anything to Blagojevich in return.

“I did not initiate or authorize anyone at any time to promise anything to Gov. Blagojevich,” Jackson said at a Wednesday press conference.

Jackson continues to hold out hope for the Senate seat; on Friday, Chicago Rep. Bobby Rush said Jackson still deserves the opportunity.

State Senate President Emil Jones

Relationship to Blagojevich: Jones has been a Blagojevich ally in the legislature.

Mention in the criminal complaint: Rumored to be “Senate candidate 5” before it was discovered to be Rep. Jesse Jackson.

Senate seat angle: Jones has not said whether he’ll seek the Senate seat and is unlikely to make an announcement until after the legislature decides what to do with what is still Blagojevich’s appointment to make. He will be one of the key lawmakers in crafting a final bill.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan

Relationship to Blagojevich: A statewide elected official in her own right, Madigan is the daughter of the Illinois House speaker who has been feuding with the governor for years. She has clashed numerous times with Blagojevich and met Friday with state House Republican leader Tom Cross to discuss impeachment proceedings.

Madigan called on the state Supreme Court Friday to remove Blagojevich from office, claiming he is unfit to serve.

Mention in the criminal complaint: Widely believed to be “Senate candidate 2.”

Senate seat angle: Her aggressive attempts to oust the governor have allowed Madigan to position herself as a reformer in a potential special election. According to a Rasmussen poll conducted after news of the scandal broke, Madigan is the leading contender to replace Obama.

Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn

Relationship to Blagojevich: Quinn won election as Blagojevich’s lieutenant governor in 2002 and defended the governor against corruption charges in 2006 but the two grew estranged during the governor’s second term.

Mention in the criminal complaint: None.

Senate seat angle: Quinn reversed his support for a special election Thursday, announcing that it could be skipped in order to save the state tens of millions of dollars.

If Blagojevich is removed from office before he is stripped of the pick, the choice of Obama’s successor could fall to Quinn. The lieutenant governor has not hinted at who he would like to see fill the Senate seat, telling the Chicago Tribune it would be “premature” to talk about names. He vowed that he will not appoint himself.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.)

Relationship to Blagojevich: Served with Blagojevich in the House, representing a neighboring district. Schakowsky has said she had a discussion with the Illinois governor about the Senate appointment shortly before Thanksgiving.

Mention in the criminal complaint: Schakowsky has acknowledged she might be “Senate candidate 3.”

Senate seat angle: While others are waiting to see how things shake out, Schakowsky has already declared herself a candidate for a potential special election.

Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth

Relationship to Blagojevich: Currently heads the state’s Veterans Affairs Department.

Mention in the criminal complaint: None.

Senate seat angle: With close ties to the president-elect and Rahm Emanuel, Duckworth remains in the Senate mix. On Veterans Day, Duckworth went alone with Obama to the monument outside Chicago’s Soldier Field to lay a wreath.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.)

Relationship to Blagojevich: Served with Blagojevich in the House, representing a neighboring district.

Mention in the criminal complaint: None.

Senate seat angle: Gutierrez was reportedly on Blagojevich’s short list before removing his name from the running Friday.

“The Senate selection process has been tainted, and it is clear that we need a new process to fill the seat that will represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate,” he said in a statement. “I will not be a candidate in that process but rather look forward to returning to the House and continuing my fight for comprehensive immigration reform.”

The move came shortly after questions arose about real estate deals that netted the congressman $420,000 as well as his appearance at a Blagojevich fundraiser that netted the governor $100,000 in November.

Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.)

Relationship to Blagojevich: Served with Blagojevich in the House, representing a neighboring district.

Mention in the criminal complaint: None.

Senate seat angle: Davis has admitted to meeting with Blagojevich about filling Obama’s seat, but said the governor never hinted at any sort of exchange. The six-term congressman remains one of the few Democrats who has yet to call for his resignation.

Deputy Gov. Louanner Peters

Relationship to Blagojevich: Peters served as a deputy governor and prior to that, as a deputy campaign manager for Blagojevich.

Mention in the criminal complaint: The Associated Press reported Thursday Peters is “Senate candidate 4.”

Senate seat angle: According to the complaint, Blagojevich viewed Peters as a potential placeholder if he wasn’t able to parlay the appointment into a financial or political gain. The troubled governor’s comfort level with Peters will likely make her radioactive either to voters or as an appointment.

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.)

Relationship to Blagojevich: A suburban Republican congressman, Kirk served with Blagojevich in the House. In early December, prior to Blagojevich’s arrest, Kirk vigorously opposed a clemency plea for former Republican Gov. George Ryan, who is currently serving time in federal prison. Blagojevich supported commuting his predecessor’s sentence.

Mention in the criminal complaint: None.

Senate seat angle: Kirk said Thursday he is “looking very hard” at running for Obama’s Senate seat and urged a special election to fill the vacancy rather than allow a gubernatorial appointment.

“At this point, everyone is tainted. In order to restore the trust of the people of Illinois in their representatives, this decision should not be made by people connected to a corrupt government,” Kirk told Politico.

The four-term congressman would be a strong contender and has given national Republicans hope of picking up the Senate seat in the event a special election occurs.