Senate president wannabe quotes ...

With Senate President Emil Jones Jr. announcing yesterday he'd not seek another term, the Senate was all abuzz today with potential replacements backslapping and pretending to be everyone's best friend.
There haven't been so many cheese-eating smiles in the Senate since Illinois FIRST passed in 1999.
All a reporter had to do was interview one contendor and the others would practically line up.
State Sen. Donne Trotter, a Chicago Democrat who wants to be Senate president, said there are 37 Senate Democrats and 36 are interested in being president and the one who said he's not is lying.

Trotter also predicted there'd be no quick agreement on a president. A formal vote won't occur until new lawmakers take office in January.

"I dont' think it's gong to be anytime soon," Trotter said.

State Sen. John Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat also interested in the presidency, walked by reporters and quipped: "It's kinda hard to campaign with you guys in front of us."

Update
Keith Gray, a Lake County Republican trying to unseat Democratic state Sen. Terry Link, called to say he was surprised to see Link talking about being the next Senate president, since that vote won't occur until January and Link would have to dispatch of Gray first.

"Senator Link's kinda putting the cart before the horse," Gray said.