CHICAGO — Embattled Sen. Roland Burris of Illinois said Friday that he won’t run for a full term in 2010, making official the end of a short Senate career clouded by questions about his appointment by disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Burris, a Democrat and the only black U.S. senator, said he was bowing out of the 2010 race because of the burden of raising money to pay for a campaign.
“I was called to choose between spending my time raising funds or spending my time raising issues for my state. I believe that the business of the people of the state of Illinois should always come first,” said Burris, who said political campaigns have gotten too expensive.
“And so today, I have returned to the place where my political journey began back in 1978, back to the South Side of Chicago, back to my community and my constituency to announce, my friends, that I will not be a candidate in the 2010 election, and that I will not run for the United States Senate,” he told supporters who minutes earlier had chanted, “Run, Roland, Run!”
Burris’ decision caps a long political career that included stints as Illinois’ comptroller and attorney general.
Blagojevich, a Democrat, appointed Burris to the seat once held by President Barack Obama in December, weeks after the then-governor was arrested on charges of trying to sell the seat.
After his appointment, Burris fought waves of criticism, opposition from fellow Democrats, court battles and a perjury investigation.
Burris has maintained he did nothing improper to get the seat. A prosecutor who looked into whether Burris should be charged with perjury for his incomplete testimony to the impeachment panel concluded it would be impossible to prove.
