GOP Rep. Mark Kirk Had Been 'Looking Hard' At Running For Obama Senate Seat

North Shore Republican Rep. Mark Kirk said today that he had been "looking hard" at running in a special election for the U.S. Senate seat held by President-elect Barack Obama before Democrats pulled the plug on the idea.

Kirk, who is entering his fifth term in Congress after a heavily contested fall race, also said he was not interested in making a run for Illinois governor in 2010.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[poomplet]

His endorsement by the liberal Sun-Times contradicts everything you say: http://www.kirkforcongress.com/?q=contentview&c=42578

· Named one of Congressional Quarterly's 28 Emerging Leaders in Congress
· Ranked in "Top 10" Most Independent Members of Congress by the Washington Post and Congressional Quarterly
- One of Congress' most effective moderates." Roll Call magazine

He voted AGAINST Bush 59% of the time in 2007-08....FIFTY NINE FRIGGEN PERCENT!!! He was the ORIGINAL SPONSOR of the Stem Cell act in the House & voted to override Bush's veto.

You don't have to like him/vote for him...but you really should learn about him before spouting nonsense & looking foolish.

[poomplet]

hmmm..this should have appeared below 'VOTER'S' comment below, not as a new post. Oh well, it's pretty clear where we both stand...but at least I can back up my statements about his independence/moderateness.

It really doesn't matter....in a statewide election against the "Burris/Chicago/Blago Embarrassment Parade" in 2010, he....or ANY GOP candidate...will indeed wipe the floor with whover the Dems nominate.

Like I said, I'm primarily a Democrat; local, state & national. Kirk happens to be a Repub I respect greatly.

[poomplet]

Let me pre-empt the reflexively anti-anything-GOP moonbats before more chime in on Kirk.

He's the only GOP candidate I've voted for in the last 3 elections. He's one of THREE GOP candidates for US Senate (BOTH houses) whose margin of victory INCREASED this past Nov. He is/was vehemently pro-TROOPS, but was a vocal critic of how the war was handled.

He is steadfast in his support of abortion rights, stem-cell research and environmental issues. I found this @ nationmaster.com:

----Kirk received a 75% approval rating in 2006, after a 39% approval rating in 2005, from the League of Conservation Voters, a group that assesses the environmental records of Congressmen.[7]. He received an A from Illinois Citizens Against Handgun Violence. Kirk was endorsed in 2006 by the Human Rights Campaign, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Planned Parenthood (In their 2006 ratings, Kirk was the only Republican to receive a rating of 100% from Planned Parenthood in either house, making him the most pro-choice Republican in congress) the Jewish Political Alliance of Illinois and JAC PAC.

I look forward to his tenure in the Senate...if he doesn't first take over the Gov. mansion (he says he wants to stay outta that cesspool). BTW...this is a done deal, as the Burris/Blago debacle has ensured that Burris will either a) be the Dem nominee in '10 or b) the primary will be bitter & filled w/racebaiting. Taint will be unavoidable.

[poomplet]

...I mean he was one of 3 GOP CONGRESSMEN, not senators.

[BushBites]

I won't vote for him, but he's an Illinois Repub, which means he's not a half-witted hillbilly, like most Repubs.

Big supporter of the Iraq War, tho, so he's probably not very bright.

[BethinIllinois]

Though I'm a liberal, I have always really liked Mark Kirk. He's bucked Bush before (stem cell) and seems to actually THINK, as opposed to rubber stamp GOP positions. He's not in my district, but I'd definitely consider him for a statewide or fed office.

And Huffpost! Please! On the main huffington post page it should be "chicago has ITS own page, not IT'S!" Who edits this thing?

[VOTER]

Kirk is my Congressman and he has always been a Bush supporter.

The ONLY TIME Kirk has stood up against
Bush or the GOP was when they
didn't need his vote.

HE IS A TOTAL SHAM and deserves NO RESPECT.

[poomplet]

Thanks for defining "reflexively-anti-anything-GOP" for me.

Your ignorance of Kirk's CLEARLY non-lockstep voting record is also quite telling. "ONLY TIME"?? Yeah...that's how he got the 100% rating from Planned Parenthood & all the other uber-liberal accolades I show above.

He's impressed everyone on the Hill...he has been serves on very high-profile/high-impact Committee, ones that nobody else with his level of tenure enjoy. The clout he already enjoys foretells that he would be a VERY powerful advocate for our state in the Senate.

OH...before you mention the "shoot Obama on sight" comment he made...dozens of people in the public forum have made the Obama vs. Osama slipup, so stop trotting that out

[LITNUP]

Mark Kirk also is the first Congressman to see active combat military duty since 1942, last summer I believe

[rockerdelight]

Probably why he did it because he knew he wanted to run.

[poomplet]

Or maybe because he's a reservist who was simply called up. He was active military way before becoming a Representative.

Or are you suggesting he nefariously served his country & risked his life soley for political gain?

WOW....I wish all our polititians could be that crafty!!