Race to Replace Burris Already Under Way

The jockeying has begun to replace Roland Burris in the Senate, the New York Times reports, though nobody’s certain when an election will be. Burris seems set on serving the remaining 2 years of Barack Obama’s term, but pressure is building for special elections. “The landscape on this all seems to change about every 56 hours,” said one Republican considering a run.

It seems unlikely Burris will comply with threats from Illinois Gov. Patrick Quinn—he’s already launched his official re-election campaign website, Politico reports. If Burris does run in 2010, he’ll face at least a half-dozen challengers already positioning themselves for a run, including William Daley, brother of Chicago’s mayor, and Alexi Giannoulias, state treasurer and Obama basketball buddy. (More Roland Burris stories.)