Heather Cherone | May 11, 2021 8:53 pm Although five Democrats are already jockeying to replace Secretary of State Jesse White, Ald. Walter Burnett (27th Ward) told WTTW News that he will not run to replace his political godfather. Burnett, elected to the City Council in 1995, said he decided that he could not continue to serve as alderman for the West Loop — where the COVID-19 pandemic has only slightly cooled the red-hot pace of development — while running for a statewide office amid the pandemic. Thanks to our sponsors: “I have a great ward,” said Burnett, who was widely expected by political observers to replace White once the state’s most popular Democrat finally retired. “I can’t do both.”