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Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk hasn't endorsed a GOP candidate for president, but it's looking more and more like he's on Mitt Romney's team. Kirk said Monday the field is getting down to "Romney and the anti-Romney," listing all of the GOP darlings -- Palin, Bachman, Trump et al -- that have fallen by the wayside. "The underlying story is the rise and rise of Mitt Romney," Kirk said. In regards to the Herman Cain sexual harassment controversy, Kirk said Cain "needs to respond and respond completely." "I do think his story is largely ending," Kirk said. "The critical thing is...

HANOVER, N.H. (AP) -- Presidential candidate Mitt Romney took some less staunchly conservative stands than his rivals in their debate Tuesday night, declaring he can work with "good" Democrats and positioning himself closer to the center in line with his claim that he can draw crucial independent voters in next year's general election. He even defended portions of the Wall Street bailout, a particular sore point with many conservative voters who will play an important role in choosing the Republican nominee next winter and spring.

(snip) Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia has quickly become one of Kirk's closest friends in the Senate. "My main man Manch" is what Kirk affectionately calls his pal, a Blue Dog best described as the Democratic counterpart to Kirk. Disillusioned with the Senate's partisan social cleavage, both starry-eyed newcomers set out to fix things. "Follow me," the freewheeling Mountaineer said to Kirk one day in early May, "I'm heading to a budget meeting and we need to shake things up." Kirk was hesitant, suspecting that his presence might inflame most everyone at the Democratic strategy session. But Manchin insisted....

A Chicago-based scientist says he’s grateful to U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk for siding with legislation that backs stem cell research. Kirk on Monday called for congressional action to codify an executive order on the research issued by President Barack Obama in 2009. (snip) The Illinois Republican says, if senior Democratic senators choose not to move the stem cell legislation in this Congress, he will.

Sen. Susan Collins is part of a renewed bid to pass a bipartisan bill protecting against workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Maine Republican is a lead co-sponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, ENDA, along with Democrats Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Tom Harkin of Iowa and Republican Mark Kirk of Illinois.

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) may have the support of Maine's Tea Party-backed governor in her reelection bid, but she could still be in for a tough primary battle next year. New numbers from Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling (PPP) show 58 percent of Maine Republicans prefer a generic "more conservative" alternative to Snowe in 2012. And just 33 percent of Maine Republicans said they will support her. According to the poll, 58 percent of Republicans in the state think Snowe is too liberal, while another 33 percent don't even think she belongs in the GOP, saying she should be a Democrat.

Darin LaHood gets GOP nod to replace Risinger in senate Attorney selected over five candidates including Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis Darin LaHood makes a reference to his opponent Kevin Lyons during their State's attorney race debate in 2008. By PATRICK OLDENDORF (poldendorf@pjstar.com) Peoria Journal-Star Feb 26, 2011 PEORIA — "Humbled" was how Darin LaHood described himself Saturday afternoon, shortly after being appointed the new state senator for the 37th District. The Peoria attorney defeated five other candidates to replace state Sen. Dale Risinger, who announced his retirement earlier this month after being re-elected in November. "There were many other...

(AP) Republican Mark Kirk broke with his majority of his party Saturday to support repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays in the military, casting one of the first high-profile votes he’s faced as Illinois’ junior senator. The Senate voted 65-31 to let gays serve openly in the military. President Barack Obama was expected to sign the legislation next week, although the change wouldn’t take immediate effect. The House had passed an identical version of the bill, 250-175, on Wednesday. Kirk was one of six Republicans to break ranks. The move was a reversal for him after...

When Mark Kirk is sworn in this afternoon, the U.S. Senate will once again have no African-Americans. Since Reconstruction, there have only been four black senators. Three of them -- Carol Moseley Braun, Barack Obama and Roland Burris -- have held the seat that Kirk is about to occupy. For reasons that go back more than a century, all the way to the First Great Migration from the South, Illinois has led the nation in black political empowerment. We’ve elected more black statewide officials than anyone else. We produced the first black president. And it was a matter of pride...

Reno Mayor Bob Cashell, a former Republican state chair and Nevada lieutenant governor, said last week that the rightists in the Nevada Senate are not representative of the party. Cashell was reacting to the way far-right senators mustered enough votes in the Senate GOP caucus to force Washoe Sen. William Raggio out as Republican floor leader after Raggio grudgingly supported Democratic U.S. Sen. Harry Reid’s reelection. “I think it was very petty,” Cashell said. “I think it was very vindictive. These people claim to be Ronald Reagan conservatives, and they’re not. I knew Ronald Reagan. He asked me to join...

Here we go again.  The same vicious cycle seems to repeat itself ad nauseum.  We become all excited about the prospects of picking up Senate seats during the election.  Then, within a few days these RINOs return to their old ways.  The Hill is reporting that Mark Kirk is considering whether to vote with the Democrats and support the unconstitutional Disclose Act.  Even though he voted against this particular bill while he was in the House, he is showing willingness to sell himself out to liberal special interest groups that are pressuring RINOs to support this legislation.  Here is what...

Centrist Senate Republicans are likely to get a new ally in Sen.-elect Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), according to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).

Wednesday, November 10, 2010 Kirk can't wait to join U.S. Senate GOP's "Mod Squad" Leftist Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine is all excited about a new ally - Mark Kirk. Collins told the Kennebec Journal that Kirk joked that he wanted to be a part of the Senate GOP's "Mod Squad." Columnist David B. Offer wrote:The day after the election, Collins told me she had received a post-election telephone call from Mark Kirk, the Illinois Republican elected to fill the Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama. “I can’t wait to join your Mod Squad,” Kirk told her. So, from the...

I said it during the primary, Mark Kirk is a 45 percenter. His record in the House pretty much shows that he will only vote with Republicans 45 percent of the time if left to his druthers. True to my worst fears, Kirk seems to be right on track with my predictions. The man hasn't even taken his seat yet and many are assuming he'll support one of the Democrat's favorite issues: the DISCLOSE Act. The Hill is reporting that Kirk is coming under pressure by the left to vote "yes" on a watered down version of the DISCLOSE Act,...

(VIDEO AT LINK) Former Governor Mitt Romney has kept a high profile throughout the midterm election season endorsing and fundraising for GOP candidates, an effort that some analysts say has established his position as frontrunner for Republican nomination in 2012. Romney hasn’t escaped President Obama’s attention – and in a CBS “60 Minutes” interview last night, Obama compared his health care plan to Romney’s and practically announced Romney’s candidacy. Obama weighed the political costs of health care reform and said Republicans didn’t cooperate as much as he had hoped they would. “We thought that if we shaped a bill that...

Sen.-elect Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) could buck his Republican leadership in his first two weeks on the job and vote in favor of a campaign-finance transparency bill that the GOP’s top brass ardently oppose.

 Watchdogs are pushing for a vote on a stripped-down version of a campaign finance bill during the upcoming lame-duck session. That version of the legislation would force groups bankrolled by anonymous donors to disclose the sources of their funding, as well as their political spending. Advocates for greater limits on campaign finance have been eyeing Kirk, as well as Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), as two possible votes...

GOP's Kirk wins Obama's old seatFrom the NBC News political team Republican Mark Kirk is NBC's projected winner of the Illinois Senate race, snatching the seat that former Sen. Barack Obama held in Illinois. Kirk defeated Obama ally Alexi Giannoulias. Giannoulias struggled to overcome reports that his family's failed bank made loans to known criminals. The president and the first lady both made stops in the state to try to boost the Democrat. **SNIP** The victory for Kirk gives Republicans a net gain of five Senate seats so far tonight.

Saturday, October 30, 2010 Abortion rights groups play both sides in IL U.S. Senate race Abortion rights groups far surpass pro-life groups in campaign contributions to political candidates, OpenSecrets.org writes today.  It's pretty troubling and discouraging for pro-lifers in Illinois that both of their U.S. Senate candidates are on the list of the nation's top 20 biggest abortion dollar recipients in 2010.  So, no matter who's elected November 2 -- Mark Kirk or Alexi Giannoulias -- the abortion industry will be happy.  OpenSecrets.org also lists the top 20 candidates getting prolife group backing, of which three from Illinois are included: former U.S. Senate candidate...

Kirk siphons away black minister By DAVID CATANESE | 10/25/10 2:10 PM EDT Updated: 10/26/10 12:46 PM EDT The Rev. Willie Wilson, a nationally prominent black pastor, announced his backing of Rep. Mark Kirk in the Illinois Senate race Monday, bucking his long tradition of supporting Democrats and splitting his endorsements at the top of the state ballot. Willie Wilson, a nationally prominent black pastor, announced his backing of Rep. Mark Kirk (shown) in the Illinois Senate race Monday. Wilson’s blessing is meant to signal to black voters that the Republican candidate is an acceptable option in one of...

<p>CHICAGO (AP) - Republican Mark Kirk says the Bush administration lied to him about the evidence for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.</p> <p>Kirk voted to invade Iraq and said he was morally certain Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.</p>

"Down one road is extremism -- where Roe v. Wade is overturned and being a moderate is a curse" says Charlie Crist in his new ad. "That's the road Sarah Palin, the Tea Party and Marco Rubio want to take us down."

Republican Congressman Mark Kirk is now leading Democrat Alexi Giannoulias in Illinois’ up-and-down race for the former U.S. Senate seat of President Barack Obama, according to the latest Rasmussen poll. While this is one of the key races that could enable Republicans to take control of the Senate, a no less important, but symbolic, element of the race is that Obama could see his own once seemingly safe seat fall into GOP hands. It would be one more blow to his midterm fortunes. With Roland Burris – who was appointed to see out the president’s term by controversial Governor Rod...

What does Illinois Tea Party candidate Michael Labno have to do to get some attention around here? Does he have to be more like Christine O’Donnell: should he make some bizarre comment about meatballs, get caught buying vibrators and boil some frogs? Or does he have to be more like Illinois Republican candidate Mark Kirk: shall he create an imaginary life story where he single-handedly killed Osama bin Laden with his .50 caliber sniper rifle, was awarded a medal of honor and then devoted his life to reading fairytales to nursery school students? On October 5, 2010, Rasmussen Reports announced...

Voters have starkly negative views of both candidates, each of whom has struggled in the campaign with stories that have hurt them. (Giannoulias had to spend time dealing with questions about the dealings of his family's bank, which ultimately failed, and Kirk had to acknowledge embellishing on his military service record). Forty-seven percent see Kirk unfavorably compared to 33 percent who regard him favorably, with 20 percent undecided. Giannoulias is seen unfavorably by a 48 percent to 33 percent margin, with 20 percent undecided. In mid-August, 34 percent had seen Kirk unfavorably and 42 percent saw Giannoulias unfavorably which suggests...

September 18, 2010 (HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill.) (WLS) -- Thousands of conservatives and Tea Party supporters gathered for a rally in the suburbs Saturday. The Sears Center in Hoffman Estates was host to "Right Nation 2010." The headline speaker was cable news commentator Glenn Beck. Also on the speakers list was Republican nominee for Illinois governor and State Sen. Bill Brady. There had originally been reports that Brady would skip the event. Republican Senate candidate Mark Kirk was not attending. Saturday's gathering comes just days after Tea Party-supported candidates won primary elections in several states. Approximately 5,500 people purchased tickets for...

The political resiliency of the climate eight has convinced some observers that the next Congress might even offer a kinder landscape for passing climate legislation. If Castle and Kirk ascend to the Senate, the chamber might have more moderate Republicans willing to join Democrats on cap and trade, says Rob Sisson, president of Republicans for Environmental Protection.

Andy Martin analyses the undisputed “facts” of Mark Kirk’s alleged “drowning” and suggests that no sensible person could believe Kirk’s own version of the facts. “We are drowning in Mark Kirk’s lies,” Martin says. Read Andy’s analysis of Kirk’s undisputed “facts” and decide for yourself. Andy Martin takes a closer look at Mark Kirk’s “drowning” episode and finds more questions than the Chicago Tribune Martin suggests Kirk’s own version of the story displays a “Tarzan” complex or, worse, a teenage suicide attempt “No rational person can believe Kirk’s own ‘undisputed’ facts Martin says “Factually Correct, Not Politically Correct” FOR IMMEDIATE...

U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk called for new measures Thursday to limit federal spending, including giving the president the power to veto specific programs. The Illinois Republican also said he would back a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget and a “super-majority” vote before Congress could approve excess spending.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman said this afternoon that if elected governor, she would defend Proposition 8, which prohibits same-sex marriage, by appealing a recent federal court ruling declaring the proposition unconstitutional. Whitman made her clearest stand to date on the issue while speaking at the warehouse of Solar Gard Window Film in San Diego, hours before she's scheduled to address the California Republican Party's convention downtown. During a brief news conference, the Bee asked Whitman whether she would defend Proposition 8 if elected governor. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has taken up the issue after Chief Judge...

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL), the GOP's nominee for the Illinois Senate seat formerly held by President Obama, has now stated his support for the Supreme Court nomination of Elena Kagan, and that he would vote to confirm her if he were in the Senate right now. The move is seemingly a part of Kirk's effort to appeal to voters in the center, having worked hard to present himself as a moderate and independent-minded Republican. "With regard to Solicitor General Kagan, I would support her nomination. Ms. Kagan appears to be modest and thoughtful not because she expected this nomination but...

The following open letter from Laurie Higgins to Illinois Republican Party leadership is posted below by RFFM.org with Mrs. Higgins permission. Higgins appeals to GOP leaders, urging Mark Kirk to bow out of the Senate race "for the good of the party." Higgins joins a growing chorus of conservatives who believe Kirk should be encouraged to do what's best for not only Illinois Republicans, but the integrity of the political process as well. Laurie Higgins is an influential pro-family activist and a widely read columnist. Higgins has a background as an educator. Her articles and columns have been published across...

In a move that could burnish his credentials as a “moderate” Republican, Senate candidate Mark Kirk announced Friday that he supports President Obama’s choice of Elena Kagan for the U.S. Supreme Court. "Under the Constitution, only the President can make this nomination and Solicitor General Kagan is one of the more careful nominees he could have picked,” Kirk said. Only two Republican senators have publicly declared so far that they are voting for Kagan. The vote will be over by the time Kirk would take his senate seat. But his announcement that he would support her makes it harder for...

Illinois conservative Republicans have a national dilemma mounting right before their eyes. The Hill wrote yesterday that the GOP's Mark Kirk is part of an effort to weaken conservative influence in the U.S. Senate

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman is backing away from a key immigration proposal she advanced in this spring's competitive GOP primary after farmers and other business interests expressed displeasure with her idea. As she campaigned this spring, Whitman said she would send state and local officials into California businesses to look for illegal immigrants – her own version of federal immigration workplace inspections. But her campaign now says she would wait to act until the federal government institutes a "fail-safe" way for employers to verify workers' status – an effort that has been more than a decade in the making....

NORTHBROOK — Republican Senate candidate Mark Kirk publicly apologized Tuesday for being “careless” in describing his military service and background, after a series of embellishments were revealed that could threaten his bid for President Barack Obama’s former seat. As Kirk apologized, however, he also acknowledged something his campaign had flatly denied just two weeks ago.

ILLINOIS REVIEW Crossroads of the Conservative Community Tuesday, July 06, 2010 Is Kirk trying to be a skunk at the GOP picnic? The Illinois Republican statewide slate has been pushing unity and cohesiveness for the last couple of months, and all except for one seems to be getting the script down. Why in the world would GOP U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk use a press conference today to antagonize those who could get him downstate votes and bridge the huge chasm between conservative Republicans and liberal Gold Coasters?  Unbelievably in one fell swoop, Kirk blasted his own party's top two ballot...

It took Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman less than two weeks to hang up her hard line on immigration and to go on Spanish-language TV catering to the Latino vote. It was but one step toward middle ground for a candidate pulled right in the primary. Forget that endorsement from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and those robo calls from former Vice President Dick Cheney. And don't expect to hear any more from former Gov. Pete Wilson, who pleased GOP voters in the Republican primary when he said Whitman would be "tough as nails on illegal immigration," but who is...

Opinion: Mark Kirk and the Illinois Curse by Steve Chapman Updated: 6:4 PM 6/10/2010 Multiple Page View Running for Congress in 2000, Mark Kirk told a Chicago Tribune reporter he had almost drowned in Lake Michigan as a teenager. "I should be at the bottom of that lake, but I was given a rare gift of a second life," he confided. "And to be given a second chance means it has to mean something. For me, that means making a difference through public service, and it all comes from the lake." This brought to mind what Oscar Wilde said...

Questions raised about Kirk's teaching record June 17, 2010 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- New questions are emerging about a candidate's record in the race for the U.S. Senate. First Mark Kirk was questioned about the accuracy of his military record. Now there are questions about what Kirk says about his teaching career. Did Mark Kirk misremember, exaggerate or lie when he talked about a teaching job he held 29 years ago? Did he really believe that some of the pre-schoolers he taught might bring a gun to class? It is the latest episode in a sometimes unbelievable US Senate campaign.

School Officials Say Candidate Overstated His Role By EMMA GRAVES FITZSIMMONS and JEFF ZELENY The New York Times Published: June 18, 2010 David Banks/Associated Press Mark S. Kirk of Illinois, a candidate for the Senate. In Illinois Race, a Teaching Career Is Questioned (June 17, 2010) CHICAGO — A leader of the church in upstate New York where Representative Mark S. Kirk of Illinois claims he worked as a nursery school teacher said on Friday that he had overstated his role there. The leader, Sally Grubb, a member of the administrative council at Forest Home Chapel, a Methodist church...

Meg Whitman, the Republican candidate for governor of California, is softening her stance on immigration. A month after she cut an ad during her primary promising “no drivers’ licenses, no sanctuary cities, and absolutely no amnesty, period,” she’s launched new ads to air during Mexico’s World Cup match calling herself a “different kind of candidate” who “understands our community” and “the Republican who opposes the Arizona law and was against Proposition 187.” Latinos who are interested in Whitman’s positions on immigration can learn more about them at the new section of her website not-at-all-subtly targeted at them

Mark Kirk's drive to turn his exemplary military service into a political liability continues today, with a rebuke from the Pentagon first reported on a blog that's been chipping away at the candidate, and picked up by the AP. Air Force Major April Cunningham tells blogger Terry Welch: In December 2008, Commander Kirk, while on active duty, participated in video discussions in the media about the unfolding situation involving then-Governor Blagojevich of Illinois. Members of the Armed Forces on active duty may not participate in television discussions as an advocate for or against a partisan political party, candidate, or cause....

Only 17 percent of Republicans think Kirk told the truth by Mark Rhoads Before the primary, I was urged by friends of mine in Washington, DC who like Mark Kirk for his expertise on national security issues to boost his candidacy if I could in articles and with friends in Illinois.  When I pointed out that Mark Kirk was a huge disappointment to me on the social issues I care most about, our mutual friends kept pressing me on how he was needed in the Senate as a voice for military readiness.    So I sent the new Public Policy Poll to some...

New poll indicates majority of IL voters reject both Giannoulias and Kirk Public Policy Polling survey results released Tuesday show GOP U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk's taken a beating on his military record controversy, and now both Kirk and Democratic opponent Alexi Giannoulias carry the same 30 favorable/ 31 unfavorable rating by those polled.  Those new findings show a six point drop in Kirk's numbers since questions were raised and Kirk apologized for misleading the public in describing his military honors and experience.  This poll, taken of 552 Illinoisans over the past two days, included questions about Kirk's military controversy, but did not mention Giannoulias' family banking scandal nor...

Kirk says he opposes Ariz. immigration law May 18, 2010 (CHICAGO) -- Republican Illinois Congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk said Tuesday he opposes Arizona's new immigration law, taking a stand contrary to the conservative wing of his party. Kirk's stand comes in the wake of the flap at Highland Park High School where the girls' basketball team was stopped from attending a tournament in Arizona. [Excerpt from http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/politics&id=7448812 ]

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk accepted responsibility Thursday for a series of misstatements about his Navy Reserve career, including that he served in the Gulf War, that he once commanded the Pentagon war room and that he came under fire while flying intelligence missions over Iraq. Kirk blamed several of the inaccuracies on his attempts to translate "Pentagonese" for voters or on inattention by his campaign

Watching Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk squirm before the Tribune editorial board on Thursday for embellishing his military record reminded me of something: Watching Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias squirm in the same chair a few months ago, for his role in his family's controversial and now failed Broadway Bank. So now both candidates in the race for President Barack Obama's old Senate seat have problems. On Thursday it was Kirk, a U.S. Naval Reserve officer, doing the wriggling, and it wasn't pretty.

Illinois Senate Candidate Admits Claim About Military Award Was inaccurate By R. Jeffrey Smith May 29, 2010 The Republican candidate for President Obama's old Senate seat has admitted to inaccurately claiming he received the U.S. Navy's Intelligence Officer of the Year award for his service during NATO's conflict with Serbia in the late 1990s. Rep. Mark Kirk, a Navy reservist who was elected to Congress in 2001, acknowledged the error in his official biography after The Washington Post began looking into whether he had received the prestigious award, which is given by top Navy officials to a single individual annually....

Alexi Giannoulias's road to replace Barack Obama in the Senate from Illinois has just gotten even rockier. Not only is popular GOP Congressman Mark Kirk running against him, but his family's bank was seized by the government on suspicions of corruption. And now Democratic Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. may actually back Kirk. Yes, the son of Jesse Jackson might back a Republican. Politico is reporting this as it becomes obvious that Giannoulias may actually lose in this very blue state.