Senate shuffle wrap-up

January 4, 3:35 PMCongress ExaminerIgor Derysh

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If only all Senate appointments went as smoothly as Colorado Governor Bill Ritter's appointment of Michael Bennet to replace Ken Salazar. Alas, if that were the case, what fun would that be?

Below is a quick wrap up of the big three Senate storylines, make sure to check back Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for full wrap-ups of the Illinois, New York and Minnesota Senate seat dramas.

• After Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat, Senate Democrats responded with letters and statements denouncing Blagojevich.
  
  The race card has been played and Harry Reid and the Democrats could face blowback from the African-American community should they refuse to seat Burris who would be the lone African-American Senator.
  
  Another question is whether or not the Senate has any real authority to refuse to seat Burris or whether Harry Reid and the Democrats actually have the guts to do so.
  
  Look for Burris to be seated or this one to go to court. Check back this week for full coverage.
  
  More on Burris:
  Blago picks Burris
  Who is Roland Burris?
  Democrats take a stand against Burris pick
   
• The Minnesota Senate recount continues with two months having passed since the election. With originally rejected ballots being counted, FiveThirtyEight.com reports that Franken now holds a 225-vote lead, a nearly 450-vote swing from the election day results when incumbent Norm Coleman reportedly won with a 215-vote lead.
  
  The race has yet to be called and with all of the legalities of the race, it appears that Minnesota will be without a second Senator for some time. Either way, Franken is the winner. Check back this week for a full wrap-up of the race.
  
  More on Franken-Coleman:
  Franken Wins! Or Does He?
  After month of recount, Franken takes the lead
  Franken the favorite to win Minnesota
   
• Despite the backlash over a possible Caroline Kennedy appointment, officials around New York Governor David Paterson said this week that the Governor will select the lone surving child of President John F. Kennedy to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate.
  
  The pick could prove costly to the New York Democrats as this pick could lead to New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to challenge Paterson in the primary before Paterson will even have a chance to get to the general election. Caroline Kennedy would then face someone like Peter King in 2010 and face the possibility of handing a New York Senate seat to the Republicans.
  Full Coverage coming up this week.
  
  More on Kennedy-Cuomo:
  Cuomo will get the New York Senate Seat (Whoops?)
  Kennedy pick could hurt the Dems big time
  Andrew Cuomo will replace Clinton (Whoops?)