Chicago newspaper reporters (and us savvy blog columnists) are saying that Illinois Senator Roland Burris will soon announce he won't seek election to the seat in 2010. Senator Burris has made news recently for refusing to resign his appointment in the wake of rumored involvement in the Blagojevich investigation.

Illinois Democrats, led by interim Governor Patrick Quinn and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), are calling for Burris to leave office now because of reports that he did in fact attempt to raise money for impeached Governor Rod Blagojevich as a condition for receiving the Senatorial appointment. Quinn, elected as the state's Lt. Governor, assumed the state's top job when Blagojevich was removed from office. Burris had previously testified before a state legislative investigatory committee that he and the former Governor had no financial arrangement relating to President Obama's vacated legislative position.

Should Burris actually make the expected 2010 announcement, there are many in the wings waiting to jump into the 2010 race. Among Democrats, Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) have already expressed interest in running for the Seat. Republican Congressman Mark Kirk (R-Kenilworth), who has held a Democratic-leaning district through the worst of elections for his party, is the prime GOP recruit.

The after-effects of the Blagojevich scandal and appointment mess seems to be opening the door for Republicans, hence the Democrats' desire to remove the tainted Burris from the field of candidates as quickly as possible.