You remember Roland Burris, don't you?

He's the guy who was appointed to the Senate by then-Gov. (but the already-disgraced then-Gov.) Rod Blagojevich to fill the seat vacated by Barack Obama.

For an assortment of reasons -- everything from his ties to Blagojevich to, well, his ties to Blagojevich, he was seen as a certain lame duck, if not a dead duck, for 2010. His fundraising has been anemic, his polling numbers are weak, and there was no shortage of Democrats drooling at the thought of taking him on in next February's primary.

There's no reason to think that his situation has improved in the least. But one Democrat who had been mulling over a primary challenge, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, from Chicago's North Side, now says she won't run.

Schakowsky told Chicago Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet that while a Senate run "would have been very exciting," she wanted to stay in the House and work on health care and energy legislation. Plus, she didn't want to spend all her time raising money; she envisioned $10 million needed for the primary and an additional $16 million for the general election.

That's not to say there won't be a competitive primary, notes Sweet:

The drama on the Democratic side is centering on whether Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan will run for governor or the Senate. Senate Democratic leaders have been recruiting Madigan, but in recent weeks she has been raising political money that could not be used in a federal race. State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias is already running and raising money for a Senate election, although he has not made a formal announcement. Merchandise Mart mogul Chris Kennedy has been organizing his campaign. ... Others mulling a run are City of Chicago Treasurer Stephanie D. Neely and Chicago Urban League Chief Cheryle R. Jackson.

Republican hopes are still centered on Rep. Mark Kirk, a moderate from Chicago's northwest suburbs. It says here that he is the GOP's best chance to win the seat.

categories: Midterm Exams

9:36 - June 8, 2009

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