WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden endorsed Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) for Senate on Wednesday.
"I'm proud to support Tammy Duckworth for the seat I once held in the United States Senate," Obama said. "Few people fight as passionately for our veterans as Tammy. Soon after I was first elected president, I asked her to join my administration and serve her fellow veterans at the VA. She served with purpose and distinction -- service that continued when she ran for Congress and won. And I was proud to sign one of Tammy's signature pieces of legislation -- the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Act -- into law."
"When her nation calls, Tammy Duckworth answers, and I’m proud to support her in this next mission: running for the U.S. Senate," Biden said. "She supports programs that make college more affordable, including free community college for deserving students, and that's the kind of voice we need in the U.S. Senate."
The president rarely makes endorsements in congressional or Senate races, and it's unusual that both he and Biden decided to publicly back Duckworth. Both are popular in Illinois -- it is Obama's home state, after all -- so their support will go a long way.
Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran and two-term congresswoman, is trying to unseat Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) in one of the most competitive races in the country. Polling from last summer showed Duckworth with a slight lead. She also raised more money in the last quarter of 2015 -- $1.6 million to Kirk’s $1 million.
There's been some suspicious activity during their race. A "protest" last week at a Duckworth event included people who said they were being paid and didn't know if the congresswoman was a Democrat or a Republican. In November, Kirk supporters were caught using a fake minimum wage petition to put his name on the ballot. The Kirk campaign denied any involvement.
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