Proponents point out that the existing facilities at O'Hare and Midway airports cannot meet the transportation needs of the Chicago area, and that the development will bring economic prosperity to Chicago Southland, an area deprived of economic development, as well as the rest of the state. Politicians backing plans include former Governor Rod Blagojevich; former Representative Jesse Jackson Jr., Congressman Jerry Weller, the former representative of the district in which the airport would be located, and Will County Executive Larry Walsh. The efforts were also supported by then-state senator Barack Obama.