Obama Vacates Senate Seat, Effective Sunday

(NEWSER) - Roland Burris was sworn in and seated in the Senate today as the junior senator from Illinois. Democrats had been loath to accept an appointee of Rod Blagojevich's, but the continued hubbub around the former Illinois AG was seen as a distraction. And Burris’ heroic attempts to get his credentials in order made his confirmation more palatable, the Hill reports. More»

Obama replacement will be sworn in this week, 'barring objection' from GOP

(NEWSER) - Senate Democrats today accepted Roland Burris as the senator-designate from Illinois, and he will likely be seated later this week, the Chicago Tribune reports. “Barring objections from Senate Republicans,” said a statement from Sens. Harry Reid and Dick Durbin, “we expect Senator-designee Burris to be sworn in.” Senate lawyers looked over the case and decided that Burris’ disputed credentials were satisfactory. More»

(NEWSER) - Harry Reid called Rod Blagojevich after the election, but before the governor’s arrest, to discourage him from appointing unelectable candidates to Barack Obama’s Senate seat, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The Senate majority leader sought to put the kibosh on Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Danny Davis, along with State Senate President Emil Jones. Reid suggested state AG Lisa Madigan or Illinois' veterans affairs chief Tammy Duckworth. More»

President will meet with key lawmakers next week

(NEWSER) - Step aside, Joe. A day after congressional Republicans called off debt-reduction talks with Vice President Joe Biden, the White House announced President Obama will meet directly with key lawmakers next week, reports the Washington Post . Obama will meet with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday. More»

(NEWSER) - Roland Burris made it official this afternoon: He won't run for a full term next year, the Chicago Tribune reports. “I love serving the people of Illinois,” the current holder of President Obama's old Senate seat said. But “political races have become far too expensive in this country. And in making this decision, I was called to choose between spending my time raising funds or spending my time raising issues for my state.” More»