Illinois’ appointed junior Senator, Roland Burris, has just made official what was reported yesterday: He will not run for for his own full term. (Funny how hard it is to say he will not run for a fresh term without saying "re-election.")

I will not be a candidate in the 2010 election, and. . . I will not run for the United States Senate seat.

In making his announcement, Burris cited a choice between raising funds for a campaign or spending time doing the business of his state. That borders on remarkable candor–Burriss is reported to have raised only about $20,000 for his election battle. (Funny how hard it is to raise campaign funds when investigators are watching you like a hawk.)

Video coming soon. . . .

UPDATE: Kirk Out!

Illinois Rep. Mark Kirk will not run for the open seat of Sen. Roland
Burris (D) in 2010, a stunning reversal from just 478 hours ago when
Kirk signaled to National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman
John Cornyn (Texas) that he would make the race.

Kirk’s announcement comes moments after Burris announced that he would not stand in the 2010 election, and a day after Ilinois’ Republican Congressional delegation refused to back Kirk in a primary against IL GOP chair Andy McKenna.

According to Chris Cillizza (same link as above), Illinois Republicans abandoned Kirk in large part because of his vote in favor of the Waxman-Markey Energy and Climate bill. Very silly–Illinois is a big coal and nuclear state, and this bill is chockablock full of goodies for those industries.

UPDATE 2: Kirk Not Out?

Roll Call thinks Cillizza jumped the gun:

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) is still considering running for Senate, despite a report Friday afternoon that said he was taking himself out of the race in order to avoid a primary with state Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna.

Kirk told Roll Call over the phone Friday that he was still discussing the race with McKenna going into the weekend and that a published Washington Post report that he was dropping out of the race was incorrect.

Roll Call (like many) feels that the more "moderate" Kirk is the GOP’s best shot in the general election, but whether Kirk can fend off a challenge from the right in the Republican primary is a very open question. Roll Call says that Kirk will run only if the hardliner McKenna agrees not to.