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Chris Kennedy Running To Replace Roland Burris in Illinois

Another Kennedy is planning on getting into politics. This time it is the son of Robert F. Kennedy. Chris Kennedy is planning on running to replace Roland Burris, the embattled and beleaguered replacement for President Barack Obama. Burris was appointed by disgraced Illinois Governor Rod Blagojavich. Current polling places the Chicago businessman ahead of Senator Burris in a primary battle to be conducted next year. Odds are that Kennedy will be facing off against U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky and state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias in a primary.

Republicans are trying to coax a member of their own party to run against the Democratic nominee. They are looking at Representative Mark Kirk; however, the only way that Kirk appears to have a shot at becoming Senator Kirk is if he is running against Senator Burris. Unfortunately, that does not seem to be likely. While a bloody Senate battle might dim chances of the Democrats keeping the seat, the probability is that they will be able to keep because Illinois is becoming a Blue state at an alarming rate.

The trend away from the Republican Party has largely turned the North and North East into blue territory. Despite the fact that in next years census, it is expected that Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania are likely to loose a Representative each, they will probably loose a Republican Seat when the largely Democratic state majorities rewrite the districts. Meanwhile, in the South, the likelihood is that they will pick up Republican seats. This may have some bearing on the future Presidential elections, it is likely that it will have a minimal impact.

Mayor Richard Daley gave a ringing endorsement of Chris Kennedy noting that the Kennedy name still holds a lot of weight in Illinois. Indeed, this may be truer because of the bad blood simmering among factions inside the Illinois Democrats. Kennedy may have a better shot than any of his opponents largely because of his lack of taint from the current Illinois political scene.

Bridgette “Sei” LaVictoire is a trans-lesbian who lives in Vermont and has a strong passion for LGBTI rights. She has a BA in History and her hobbies include sci-fi, anime, fantasy, action movies, video games, and more. Currently, she is working on her MA in Individualized Studies at Goddard College. Her specialization is in cultural history and cultural comparison.