Last night, ABC 7's Ben Bradley reported that, according to unnamed sources, "Obama friend and confidante Valerie Jarrett is the president-elect's preference" as his U.S. Senate replacement.  Watch it:

Politico's Ben Smith reported last week that a source close to SEIU said the union is pushing Jarrett for the open seat.  But Bradley's report is the first indication I've seen that Obama himself favors the idea.

From what I can discern, Jarrett and outgoing State Senate President Emil Jones are highest on the list of possible replacements.  In the second tier, I'd put the interested members of Congress (Reps. Schakowsky, Jackson Jr., and Gutierrez), as well as Tammy Duckworth.  Finally, Kwame Raoul and Dan Seals' names are surfacing on some short-lists, but both seem like long-shots.