http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/237357-duckworth-launches-senate-bidMarch 30, 2015, 11:27 am
Duckworth launches Senate bid
By Jonathan Easley
Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) launched her campaign to unseat Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) on Monday.
“I’m running for the United States Senate in 2016 because it’s time for Washington to be held accountable and to put Illinois families and communities first,” Duckworth said in a YouTube video announcing her candidacy. “I look forward to visiting your community soon, and if you elect me as Illinois senator, I will fight my heart out to represent you with honor and integrity.”
The second-term House Democrat sought to highlight her military experience and the injuries she suffered on a combat mission in Iraq, both attributes that political watchers believe will help her neutralize some of Kirk’s advantages in the race.
“In 2004 while flying a combat mission in Baghdad, an RPG tore through our cockpit, taking my legs and part of my arm with it,” Duckworth said. “The only reason I made it home was because of the heroism of my courageous buddies who risked their lives to save mine.”
Kirk is a also military veteran and has been battling back after a stroke. He uses a cane or a wheelchair to get around on Capitol Hill.
Kirk is one of Democrats’ top targets in 2016. He won his first term in the Senate during the 2010 GOP wave. Kirk is the only Republican senator up for reelection in 2016 who is running in a deep-blue state.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee sought to frame Duckworth as a reliable liberal, and Kirk as an independent.
“Congresswoman Duckworth is a partisan politician who got her start in politics as a result of Rod Blagojevich’s political maneuvers,” NRSC spokeswoman Andrea Bozek said in a statement. "Unlike Congresswoman Duckworth, who has put her extreme policies in Washington before Illinois families by voting with Nancy Pelosi 92% of the time, Mark Kirk has been an independent voice. Senator Kirk’s record of accomplishment and thoughtful independence will outshine any candidate that emerges from the Democrat primary in Illinois.”
