Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) told fellow Sen. Roland Burris that he wouldn’t support his reelection in 2010 and advised the junior Senator to resign immediately.

From the Politico

Sen. Roland Burris is rejecting yet another call for his resignation, but Democrats are already laying the groundwork to make sure he’s completely out of the picture by the 2010 election.

The latest high-profile push came Tuesday from the senior senator from Illinois, Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin, who suggested Burris should resign immediately. Burris has no intention of doing so.

But perhaps just as important, Durbin made a point of saying he will not support Burris if he runs in 2010. Durbin warned Burris, in an hourlong closed meeting, that he would lose a Democratic primary if he were to run in 2010. Burris has not made a decision on running for reelection.

The controversy actually could help Democrats in some ways. Democrats in Illinois and in Washington had grown increasingly concerned that Burris would be a weak 2010 candidate, and the controversy has so damaged Burris politically that a run in 2010 would be extremely difficult, especially as his legal bills are estimated to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Democrats are in full damage control mode, but the problem is that Burris isn’t playing along and the longer he stays in office the more damage he does to the party’s chances of retaining the seat in 2010.

 

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