Burris Camp Returns to Race Card

Ill. senator hopes to box in white Dems for 2010 campaign

By Gabriel Winant

Posted Mar 3, 2009 10:26 AM CST

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Burris Camp Returns to Race Card — Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., center, greets Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., prior to President Barack Obama's address to a joint session of Congress, Feb. 24, 2009. (AP Photo)

Roland Burris doesn’t have much support in Washington or money in his war chest for a reelection bid, but he retains one reliable weapon, Politico reports: the race card. As controversy over his appointment has reemerged, Burris hasn’t hesitated to chalk it up to racial politics. A Burris consultant says “race has something to do with” the Illinois senator’s chilly reception in DC.

Democrats are “crazy” to “think they can win without black votes,” warns the consultant. A group of black Chicago lawyers said Burris has done nothing wrong, and ally Rep. Bobby Rush points out that Burris “hasn’t done anything that’s indictable,” saying his involvement in the Rod Blagojevich scandal pales in comparison to missteps by senators like Ted Kennedy and Larry Craig.

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