Mark Kirk Slips In Polls After Military Record Scandal, Still Slightly Ahead Of Alexi Giannoulias

After a rough few weeks for Illinois Senate candidate Mark Kirk, his poll numbers have dipped slightly--and 63 percent of those surveyed found the scandal surrounding his military record to be at least somewhat important.

After a boost in April, a Rasmussen poll conducted Tuesday shows Kirk back down to where he was before his opponent Alexi Giannoulias' family bank closure. As of Tuesday, 42 percent of those polled said they supported Kirk in the race for President Obama's former Senate seat. In April, he was polling at 46 percent.

Giannoulias had support from 39 percent of those polled.

Rasmussen surveyed 500 likely voters in Illinois, and the margin of sampling error is +/-4.5 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence.

Kirk has been getting slammed by the press in recent weeks after a series of misstatements he made about both his military record and foreign policy came to light. The pollsters asked two questions about the military scandal:

How closely have you followed news reports about Mark Kirk and his military service?

27% Very closely
35% Somewhat closely
18% Not very closely
16% Not at all
3% Not sure

In terms of how you will vote this November, how important are Mark Kirk's misstatements about his military record?

27% Very important
36% Somewhat important
21% Not very important
11% Not at all important
4% Not sure

Meanwhile, Sen. Dick Durbin decided to use Kirk's negative attention to Giannoulias' advantage. In a letter sent out Tuesday to Giannoulias' supporters, Durbin wrote, "Contribute to Alexi Giannoulias' campaign for Senate today! As the Republican vying for President Obama's old Senate seat in Illinois comes under fire for embellishing his military record, voters should know they have a real choice."

The Kirk campaign has been quiet about the embellishment issue for several days now. In an email sent to supporters Tuesday, the campaign announced endorsements from Vets for Freedom and Republicans for Environmental Protection (REP). The email included quotes from military leaders about Kirk's "outstanding" service.

The REP endorsement comes after two other environmental groups crossed over to endorse Giannoulias. The Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters -- both of which have endorsed Kirk in the past-- say they were not pleased with Kirk's flip-flop on 'Cap and Trade' legislation.

The Capitol Fax blog's Rich Miller points out that the new poll numbers are not too bad for Kirk:

Kirk also has a slight advantage with intensity. While 15 percent have a "very unfavorable" view of Kirk, 23 percent have a "very unfavorable" view of Giannoulias. And while 13 percent have a "very favorable" view of Kirk, just 9 percent feel that way about Giannoulias.

Check out the full poll here.

Comments

[ObserverinVancouver]

11:54 AM on 06/11/2010

This stuff is from a Rasmussen poll. Anyone else in the same ballpark?

[cincinnati]

04:32 AM on 06/11/2010

I think the slightly higher unfavorable ratings for a Dem, and less very favorable,
are common and easy to understand.

The far right, especially after brain washing by the nasty hateful Fox channel,
simply is far quicker to go very negative on "the enemy",
and practically in love with their crying clowns like Glenn Beck.

So those numbers are not that significant for the battle of the middle.

[cliffhammond]

04:08 PM on 06/10/2010

Illinois seems always to limit it choices to bankers and liars. Move one up, another one comes along.

[infodoc1]

11:43 AM on 06/10/2010

I really hope Obama's old seat doesn't go to corporate shill Kirk

[DuPageDem]

01:11 AM on 06/10/2010

Sen. Durbin's right, we have a real choice. One candidate is a stooge of Wall Street, and the other's a stooge of Pentagon contractors. That's why I choose none of the above.

[psych101]

01:24 AM on 06/10/2010

which one is which? I think only one candidate covers both those qualities and that is Mark Kirk.

[DuPageDem]

11:23 AM on 06/10/2010

Alexi is a bailed-out mob bankster. It's been all over the news, try it sometime.

[back off]

12:38 AM on 06/10/2010

There's a big push by Republicans in Illinois to push Kirk aside. He may still be slighly ahead in the polls at the moment, but Republicans aren't going to come out and vote for an outed-gay guy (who lied about his lifestyle during the primary) and a guy who tries to claim the sacrifices of true combat veterans as his own. Republicans have finally woken up post-primary and realized Kirk lied to them, many, many times, just to get through the primary.

Plus, you're starting with a state like Illinois where Democrats far outnumber Republicans. Plus, Obama is still pretty popular in his home state. Obama will get Dems out to the polls when he comes in to campaign for his personal friend Alexi.

[SaintZak]

07:36 AM on 06/10/2010

Quick! Call Allan Keyes!

[TheRevV]

10:21 AM on 06/10/2010

And for Kirk's sake:
Quick! Call Karl Rove!

[StuartGalley]

12:37 AM on 06/10/2010

The last good politician who actually seemed like he was doing the right thing or close to it was Edgar.

And now we got these two???? Military stuff aside, go Kirk. We can't afford Alexi anymore than we can afford BHO

[WiltonDiary]

05:46 AM on 06/10/2010

Afford? The Republicans bankrupt the United States of America and you are worried about affording something. Republicans under George W Bush never met a spending bill they didn't love. Bush doubled the national debt, Reagan and Bush 41 doubled the national debt.

Over 75% of todays national debt is due to the Republicans.

Q) When was the last time a Republican president balanced the budget?

A) Eisenhower 60 years ago.

Democrat spending is another right-wing myth. Bill Clinton balanced the budget as did Truman and left surplus's which Republicans couldn't wait to spend on their cronies and pork.

Btw: Democrats may tax and spend, but they don't borrow and spend like Banana Republicans, who'd rather borrow from Communisty China to support unfunded and un-necessary wars, borrow from China to provide tax cuts for the super rich and provide drug coverage for granny. Republicans under Bush created the largest expansion of government in history and you are worried about what you and yours can afford?

WE the PEOPLE can't afford to have another Republican Congress, Senate or President for a long long time.

[StuartGalley]

07:56 AM on 06/10/2010

I know. Bush was awful in his second term. Most on my side agree. It also goes to what you are spending money on. Unfunded social programs...your side....or stuff like military. Bush fell into the liberal trap of spending on those social programs. And good riddens. Our current worst president ever is making things infinitely worse, not better...and not just on spending.

And thank you for the Edgar history. As I said, he is the last good politician this state has had......period.

[WiltonDiary]

05:46 AM on 06/10/2010

Btw: Edgar was a governor, not a US Senator or President.

[maab76]

09:54 AM on 06/10/2010

Have you investigated the governors who followed Edgar? How about our latest debacle? I agree on Edgar. Worked with him and my gifted classes on the book drive for Poland. He is genuine.

[RighteousNotRightWing]

12:20 AM on 06/10/2010

I am an Illinois voter. I have to admit I will be voting for the less worse candidate, whoever that transpired to be. It hard to say one is better than the other.

[psych101]

01:23 AM on 06/10/2010

Go to their respective websites and read up on the issues. Its a start.

[realitycheckers]

07:03 PM on 06/09/2010

It's sad that the only people running are shady characters. Where are the good guys in all this?

[emmybee]

08:25 PM on 06/09/2010

There was a good guy who ran against Alexi, it was David Hoffman. Uninformed voters chose Alexi.

[psych101]

01:22 AM on 06/10/2010

Yes David Hoffman who pretty much ran no campaign until two weeks before the primary. There is a guy I can count on. Btw Hoffman loss, get over it.

[cream puff]

09:44 PM on 06/09/2010

Ummm, this is illinois dude. There are no good guys in politics here....including Obama.

[WiltonDiary]

05:55 AM on 06/10/2010

President Obama is the best ever to come out of Illinois, regardless of what you say. A huge majority of Americans voted for President Obama and they still support him!

If you are from Illinois you should be proud that your state produced and provided the United States with such a distinguished statesman.

No president in recent history has been as respected as President Obama, and if you don't know that you need to find a new source for your news.

After eight years of Bush/Cheney we finally have a president of all the people.

One of the things I admire about this administration is its cerebral, no-drama emphasis on empirical evidence in addressing issues such as health, education and poverty. This is government by adults, by engineers rather than by dramatists.

We should accept that we're stuck with a ruminative and slightly boring president who tries to solve problems rather than fulminate about them.

[CaptKirk4Senate]

06:53 PM on 06/09/2010

If only more people had followed Capt Kirk and his military service, they wouldn't have tried to reboot the Star Trek movie franchise.

http://twitter.com/CaptKirk4Senate

[VotingPresent]

06:39 PM on 06/09/2010

Illinois might actually elected the mobbed up banker?

[VOTER]

07:01 PM on 06/09/2010

Check out the newest info on Kirk.

Looks like he could end up with a dishonorable discharge from the Navy
and two years of confinement.

[psych101]

01:20 AM on 06/10/2010

So any bank that has loaned to someone guilty of a crime is guilty by association? If that's the case every bank in America is pretty much screwed by your logic. There is no evidence whatsoever that Broadway Bank or Giannoulias engaged in any illegal or unethical practices. So while you may think you are well read because you read cheap headlines in failing newspapers, try reading up a little more on the facts.

[psych101]

06:38 PM on 06/09/2010

We cannot allow a fraud like Kirk to win a seat in the Senate. Please for those who care about the future of Illinois and this country go to http://www.alexiforillinois.com/ and learn about Mr. Giannoulias' stance on crucial issues affecting our nation. If you believe he is the best choice, please learn how you can contribute to the Giannoulias' campaign to secure America's future.

[cream puff]

09:45 PM on 06/09/2010

Yeah, support the crook banker....that's what America needs.

[psych101]

01:18 AM on 06/10/2010

You parrot that phrase very well (it's "crooked" btw in case you missed that lesson in 3rd grade English). If you can, please describe to me what illegal activities he engaged in exactly.

[LeaderofMen]

06:22 PM on 06/09/2010

Unless AG learns how to frame issues, Kirk is still a shoo-in despite the fact that KirK

1. Is a closeted gay Republican
2. Is a liar.
3. Is a liar.

Yes, I added liar twice. But all Kirk has to do is repeat the lie about AG being a Chicago Bankster and his goose is cooked.

And once Kirk wins, the entire state of IL's goose will be cooked.

[cream puff]

09:46 PM on 06/09/2010

LIE?

[Newthron]

06:03 PM on 06/09/2010

In fact, he is teaching the new American norm. Just like bush and Cheney, and Beck, and Orly, and Limbaugh and few democrats, of course, that to achieve success or to obtain your gold, you must lie.

[Newthron]

05:59 PM on 06/09/2010

Why it's not important? He lies before getting the job, obviously he will deceive when he gets the job.

A LIAR is a LIAR and will remain A dishonest liar.

[cream puff]

09:46 PM on 06/09/2010

Like Bama.

[Newthron]

02:09 AM on 06/10/2010

No like Palin, Bush, Cheney, Beck, Hannity, Limbaugh, Faux-news and your other friends.