Among the early appointments announced by President-elect Obama is Pete Rouse to the post of Senior Advisor to the President. Rouse, whose mother was Japanese and whose father is white, had been Obama’s Senate chief of staff and more recently co-chair of the Obama-Biden transition team.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Rouse

Rouse had been chief of staff of Senate majority leader Tom Daschle for two decades. He was known as “the 101^st Senator” because of his skills and knowledge. Rouse was recruited by the newly elected Obama to run his Senate office when Daschle was defeated in 2004. Rouse was responsible for a memo, “The Strategic Plan”, to help Obama navigate the Senate politics and yet remain an outsider.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/26/AR2007082601446_2.html

Steve Austria, a Republican state senator, won the 7th congressional district 59% to 41%. 

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=ceca475cc2827e8c6d4f297296577f53&from=rss

Here's an article published in August regarding Austria's possible effect on the Filipino Veterans bill, which is currently in the Senate:

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/111187/Ohio-Filipino-American-running-for-US-Congress

Chris Lu, a Harvard Law School classmate of President-elect Obama who has served as his Senate Legislative Director, was appointed Executive Director of the presidential transition team.

http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/campaign-2008/2008/11/05/obama-names-transition-team.html 

http://www.asianamericansforobama.com/meet-obamas-legislative-director-chris-lu

Lu is also rumored to be a leading candidate for the job of White House Counsel or Director of legislative affairs. Another APA, Tammy Duckworth, a disabled Iraq war veteran, is a leading candidate for Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=542710E6-18FE-70B2-A8A346B36828470E