Burris isn't only one to stick around when urged to leave

Roland Burris isn't the only senator to stay on the job while most of those around him called for his resignation.

Sen. Larry Craig, an Idaho Republican, defied calls for him to step down after he was accused of soliciting sex in an airport bathroom in June 2007. His term expired this year and he didn't seek re-election.

Bryan McQuide, a political-science professor at the University of Idaho, said Craig lost a great deal of clout because he was stripped of committee chairmanships. Burris doesn't have any chairmanships to lose.

The pressure and public attention on Craig eased once it was clear he wouldn't run for re-election, making it easier for him to perform basic Senate duties, he said. McQuide speculated Burris may also get out of the spotlight if he pledges not to run 2010.

Meanwhile, McQuide said, Illinois has at least one senator at full strength, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, a Springfield Democrat.

"If I were living in Illinois, I wouldn't call Burris," he said. "I would call Durbin."

- Associated Press