The momentum for a special election to replace President-elect Barack Obama ran into a major hurdle late this afternoon in the form of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) who penned a letter today to scandal-tarred Gov. Rod Blagojevich making clear he would prefer the incumbent step aside and let Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn make the appointment.
| If there's an election the voters might go with a Publican, rather than a Sinner. Sometimes it happens in the immediate wake of a big time scandal. |
| See the most recent Senatorial election in Alaska for details ... |
"It is within the authority of the Illinois legislature to remove your power to make this appointment by providing for a special election," wrote Reid in a letter obtained by The Fix. "But a decision by you to resign or to step aside under Article V of the Illinois Constitution would be the most expeditious way for a new Senator to be chosen and seated in a manner that would earn the confidence of the people of Illinois and all Americans."
Reid adds that his preference for an appointment by Blagojevich's successor rather than a special election is driven by his belief that it is "imperative" that a new senator from Illinois be seated as soon as possible. An appointment by Quinn, a Democrat, also avoids the possibility that Democrats could lose the seat in a shortened special election campaign.
| I don't know why they're worried, the Illinois Pubs can't put up anyone who'd win. Durbin just won re-election last month with 63% of the vote. Blago beat Topinka for the governorship in '06 at 50-39%. |
The timeline being floated in Illinois political circles would be for party primaries to take place on Feb. 24 with a general election on April 7 -- a schedule that would leave the Senate seat vacant for at least three months.
| And we all know how ineffective the Senate is when it has but 99 Senators ... |
In the letter, which Reid is circulating among the Senate Democratic Caucus for signatures, the Majority Leader also makes clear that if Blagojevich sought to name a Senate replacement, which remains within his legal right to do, the Senate would not necessarily seat that pick.
"Please understand that should you decide to ignore the request of the Senate Democratic Caucus and make an appointment we would be forced to exercise our
Constitutional authority under Article I, Section 5, to determine whether such a person should be seated," wrote Reid. (The Senate has ultimate decision making power over seating its members.)
Reid's desire for an appointment rather than a special election puts him at odds with Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) who proposed the idea of a special just yesterday, as well as Illinois state House Speaker Mike Madigan and Illinois state Senate President Emil Jones Jr. |