Schakowsky to run again for House, not Senate

U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky backed off her potential run for U.S. Senate Monday, saying she would have to spend too much time raising money to make a serious bid.

The Evanston Democrat has been aggressively floating her name for the Senate for months and early on had picked Monday as the deadline for making an official decision. In an Internet video, Schakowsky said she was "convinced I would have had a very strong chance of winning a Senate race."

However, she said she didn't want to spend the "time and energy" required to raise an estimated $26 million for an aggressive primary and general election run.

"To do it, I would have to become a telemarketer 5 to 6 hours each day," Schakowsky said.

If she had stepped in, the five-term representative would have faced tough competition.

While the politically-hobbled U.S. Sen. Roland Burris has not yet made it clear if he will run for election or not, potential challengers include Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and Merchandise Mart boss Chris Kennedy, a son of Robert Kennedy.

Schakowsky says she will seek re-election to her 9th District seat, which covers the Near North suburbs and parts of Des Plaines, in 2010.