Mark Kirk

Senator Mark Kirk Expected To Make Full Mental Recovery After Surgery For Stroke

Sahil Kapur | January 23, 2012, 12:23PM

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL)

Updated 1:47 p.m. ET

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) suffered a stroke over the weekend and is recovering after successful surgery Monday morning, his office said. Kirk's physician told reporters that the senator will remain in intensive care for several days, but is expected to make a full mental recovery -- which could take weeks or longer -- and resume his duties in Congress.

"His prospects for a full mental recovery are good," Dr. Richard Fessler, the physician who performed the surgery, told reporters in Illinois. "His prospects for a full physical recovery, particularly on his left side, are not great."

He said Kirk's stroke was on the "the right side of his brain," and could "affect his ability to move his left arm and possibly his left leg." He added that it might also result in some facial paralysis.

Fessler said it's "way too soon to try and predict" how much time he may need to take off from legislative business -- but it could be weeks or months, not days. "Senator Kirk's job is cerebral," he added. "And I believe the functions he requires to do his job will be fine."

"We do not know what caused the stroke," the doctor said. He added that the senator "was beginning to deteriorate neurologically" after checking in to the hospital on Saturday, "which forced us to go into surgery Monday morning." It lasted 3 hours.

Fessler said Kirk is briskly responsive to commands and recognizes those around him when taken off sedation, but will remain in intensive care "over the next several days."

Kirk's spokesperson announced the news in a statement Monday morning:

On Saturday, Senator Kirk checked himself into Lake Forest Hospital, where doctors discovered a carotid artery dissection in the right side of his neck. He was transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where further tests revealed that he had suffered an ischemic stroke. Early this morning the Senator underwent surgery to relieve swelling around his brain stemming from the stroke. The surgery was successful. Due to his young age, good health and the nature of the stroke, doctors are very confident in the Senator's recovery over the weeks ahead.

Kirk, 52, was elected to the Senate in November 2010, after first having won a seat in the House in 2000. His Senate seat is the one Barack Obama vacated after winning the presidency, and was held in the interim by Roland Burris.

Kirk enlisted in the navy reserve in 1989 and was called to active duty during the 1999 NATO action over Kosovo. He currently holds the rank of commander. He is currently unmarried, having finalized a divorce of an eight-year marriage in 2009.

Debt Ceiling

Democrats Eye Potential GOP Supporters Of Reid's Debt Limit Bill

Brian Beutler | July 29, 2011, 4:38PM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

John Boehner's debt limit bill, dead-on-arrival in the Senate, is on autopilot for passage in the House this evening. If as expected he sends it over to the upper chamber to be killed, he will actually speed up the process by which the Senate can pass its final debt limit bill, for parliamentary reasons outlined at the bottom of this post.

So the great guessing game in the Capitol right now is figuring out 1). Which Republican Senators will ultimately support Harry Reid's debt limit bill, and 2). What changes will have to be made to it between now and midnight to make sure enough of them are on board so the bill doesn't go down in flames in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

Right now, Democrats are looking to about 11 gettable GOP votes: Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME), Bob Corker (R-TN), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Scott Brown (R-MA), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Tom Coburn (R-OK). The last three were the Republican members of the Gang of Six deficit reduction group.

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Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame

New York Trial For Somali Terrorism Suspect Reignites Gitmo Debate

Susan Crabtree | July 6, 2011, 4:22PM

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is pushing back against GOP criticism of the Obama administration's decision to bring Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame, the Somali man facing terrorism charges, to New York for trial.

Feinstein, an influential and respected voice on intelligence and national security issues, said the intelligence panel has been kept fully informed on Warsame's interrogations and the intelligence they produced, adding that she agreed with the decision to try him civilian court.

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Afghanistan

Obama's Afghan Plan With Will Be Major 2012 Foreign Policy Test

Susan Crabtree | June 22, 2011, 5:45AM

President Barack Obama

President Obama is facing one of the most difficult political challenges of his two and a half years in office in making the case to a skeptical American public and an impatient Congress that the longest war in U.S. history is still worth fighting and funding while he incrementally withdraws troops.

Obama is scheduled to outline his plans for a Afghanistan troop drawdown in a primetime address on Wednesday. The following day he will travel to Fort Drum in upstate New York to begin selling the proposal to the American people, the same day Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

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Medicare

Senate Republicans Vote Overwhelmingly To End Medicare

Brian Beutler | May 25, 2011, 5:52PM

Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

The GOP continued its bloody walk into the Medicare buzzsaw Wednesday, when 40 out of 47 Senate Republicans voted in support of the House GOP budget, and its plan to phase out and privatize the popular entitlement program.

The test vote failed by a vote of 57-40. But the roll call illustrates that Medicare privatization -- along with deep cuts to Medicaid and other social services -- remains the consensus position of the GOP despite the growing political backlash against them.

Voting with all of the Democrats against debating the plan were Sens. Scott Brown (R-MA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME) -- both 2012 incumbents -- along with Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). Rand Paul (R-KY) voted against it because it wasn't radical enough.

Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Pat Roberts (R-KS), and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) did not vote.

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Oil

GOP Closes Ranks Around Continuing Oil Subsidies

Brian Beutler | May 17, 2011, 1:15PM

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

Republicans senators who in the past have supported ending tax subsidies to big oil companies are prepared to vote Tuesday night with their party leadership to keep those subsidies in place.

"I'm going to vote with my party," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) during a Senate vote Tuesday afternoon. "I just think oil subsidies have to be part of a bigger package. If you had expanded drilling, I would consider reducing the subsidies or eliminating them if you got more drilling as part of the package.

"I'm leaning against it because it looks like it's political," said Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL).

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Government Shutdown

Conservatives To Defect On Stopgap Funding Measure -- But It's Still Likely To Pass

Brian Beutler | March 15, 2011, 9:23AM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

House Republicans will face noticeable defections from the right flank of their party when they vote Tuesday to fund the government for three more weeks -- a stopgap measure meant to buy time while leaders of both parties work out a longer-term solution.

But the mini-revolt won't throw the government into turmoil. The last "continuing resolution" passed the House two weeks ago with almost 340 votes, including over 100 Democrats, and barring major, unexpected defections from both parties, should pass again handily.

"I think in the end the Speaker will work out their differences," said Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) -- a freshman, and former House member, who Monday night told reporters he is inclined to support the spending measure. "He is very used to how the House ran under previous Republican speakers, of walking on the floor 20 votes short and picking them up on the floor."

If anything, today's situation is significantly less dire than that. "Everything is a lot less dramatic than it looks," Kirk said.

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112th Congress

Sen. Kirk: Expand Radicalization Hearings to Other Groups

Benjy Sarlin | March 9, 2011, 5:13PM

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL)

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) is uncomfortable with singling out Muslims in House inquiries into radicalization, telling reporters that he favors a broader look at terrorism. Rep. Pete King (R-NY) is set to conduct hearings on Islamic radicalization Thursday amidst complaints from critics that that they'll be used to stigmatize Muslim Americans.

"I mean I think it's a problem obviously that radical Islam led to the murder of 3,000 Americans, so it was the greatest mass murder ring in the history of our country," Kirk told reporters Tuesday. "But it would probably be pretty good for Pete to follow up with hearings on radicals of all types and then certainly including radical Islam in his purview."

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) defended the hearings Tuesday, telling reporters in a briefing that King had "credibility" on the issue and that "we are threatened by the spread of radical Islam."

Olympia Snowe

Senate Republicans Fall Into Line On Controversial House Spending Cut Plan

Brian Beutler | March 9, 2011, 8:55AM

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in the Capitol.

It looks like practically all Senate Republicans will vote for a controversial House spending cut plan on Wednesday, notwithstanding the political risk they'll face from endorsing deeply controversial policy riders that hack away at abortion rights, environmental protections, and other policies that typically have bipartisan support.

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL), a moderate Senate freshman, told reporters Tuesday night that he's a yes on the plan, which is expected to fail on a test vote Wednesday afternoon in the Democratic-dominated chamber.

"I am," he told reporters after a Senate vote.

Kirk acknowledged that liberal Republicans will take a hit for voting to endorse all of the policy measures in the bill.

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Mark Kirk

Kirk Cites Al Gore's Personal Life As Impetus For Climate Flip-Flop

Brian Beutler | February 2, 2011, 12:04PM

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL)

Back when he was a member of the House, Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) was one of a few Republicans who voted for a far-reaching climate change bill. That legislation quickly fueled Tea Party rage, and conservatives went on the attack against the plan's backers. So Kirk did an about face on the issue, and now blames... Al Gore's personal life for the whole sorry episode.

"The consensus behind the climate change bill collapsed and then further deteriorated with the personal and political collapse of Vice President [Al] Gore," Kirk told Greenwire.

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START treaty

Dems Close In On START Ratification

Brian Beutler | December 21, 2010, 10:12AM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and President Obama

At this point it's all but certain that the Democrats will be able to ratify the new START treaty before the end of the week. Yesterday was a breakthrough, as key on-the-fence Senators announced their support or near support. But the dam fully broke this morning when Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) -- the Senate's third-ranking Republican -- broke with his leadership team, including anti-START ringleader Jon Kyl, to announce his support.

"I will vote to ratify the new START treaty," Alexander said on the Senate floor. Even after the arms reductions the treaty demands, Alexander said, the US will still have enough weapons to blow "enemies" to "kingdom come."

He joins Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) as the most recent Republican to announce their intent to support the treaty; Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) is widely expected to solidify his support for the treaty as well.

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Harry Reid

After Spending Bill Implodes, Reid Schedules Vote on DADT Repeal

Brian Beutler | December 16, 2010, 8:49PM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

On Thursday night, Senate Republicans killed must-pass legislation to fund the government, and forced Democrats to accept GOP spending demands to avert a federal shutdown. The development infuriated Democratic members and led to unusually angry, churlish exchanges on the Senate floor. But as a consolation prize for defeated Democrats, they'll have a real shot at finally repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell on Sunday evening.

After long deliberations with Republican principals Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced on the Senate floor that nine GOP members had reneged on their pledges to vote for the omnibus spending bill, which reflected months of bipartisan negotiations, and included earmarks benefiting both parties.

That left Reid several votes shy of the 60 he'd need to overcome a filibuster and essentially vaporized a year's worth of work by the Appropriations Committee.

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Democrats

What To Expect From The Lame Duck Senate This Week (Hint: Not Much)

Brian Beutler | November 15, 2010, 11:00AM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) with Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Charles Schumer (D-NY)

Lame duck session begins today -- time for Democrats to squeeze through as much of their remaining agenda items as they can while they still enjoy large majorities, right?

Maybe eventually. The lame duck session could last until Christmas. But for now, Congress will only be in session for a few days before adjourning for a brief Thanksgiving recess. In that time the Senate plans to address -- or attempt to address -- three issues, leaving most of the big ticket items to be dealt with in December.

On Wednesday, the Senate will attempt to end filibusters on three pieces of legislation: one to promote natural gas and electric vehicles; one to close the pay gap between men and women; and food safety legislation third to enhance federal inspection and recall authority.

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IL-SEN

Mark Kirk Wins Obama's Old Senate Seat For The GOP

Eric Lach | November 3, 2010, 12:25AM

Mark Kirk

Republican Rep. Mark Kirk was won the Illinois Senate race over Alexi Giannoulias, and snatched President Obama's old seat away from the Democrats.

With 10,838 of 11,209 precincts reporting, Kirk leads Giannoulias 49.56%-47.15%. The AP and MSNBC have called the race for Kirk.

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2010 elections

Senate In The Balance: TPM's Look At The 9 Key Races Still Up For Grabs

Eric Kleefeld | November 1, 2010, 5:06PM

Clockwise from top left: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)

As we head into Election Day, one thing is clear for Senate Democrats: It's going to be bad. Seriously. There's no going anywhere but down. But how far down?

It's unlikely that Democrats will manage to lose their majority outright, since they're starting at the high mark of 59 seats. But things sure look rough. Open seats in Indiana and North Dakota seem to be gone already, along with incumbent Sen. Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas. Republican seats that seemed like potential Dem pickups much earlier in the cycle -- North Carolina and open seats in Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Ohio -- are clearly out of reach.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Stranger Than Fiction? TPM Casts The 2010 Midterms Movie]

The few bright spots for Democrats are open seats in Connecticut and Delaware, where very weak Republican candidates Linda McMahon and Christine O'Donnell have spared the Dems from total humiliation. So with that in mind, let's take a look at some other key races to watch tomorrow.

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IL-SEN

PPP Poll: GOPer Kirk Leads IL-SEN By 4 Points

Eric Lach | November 1, 2010, 9:11AM

IL Senate candidates Alexi Giannoulias (D) and Mark Kirk (R)

A new PPP Poll of the Illinois Senate race shows Republican Mark Kirk with a four-point lead over Democrat Alexi Giannoulias, 46%-42%, with the Green Party's LeAlan Jones and Libertarian Mike Labno each at 3%.

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IL-SEN

Who Leads IL-SEN? Depends How Many Candidates Are Involved

Eric Lach | October 29, 2010, 12:27PM

Illinois Senate candidates Alexi Giannoulias (D) and Mark Kirk (R)

The Illinois Senate race has been close for months. Democrat Alexi Giannoulias and Republican Rep. Mark Kirk have attacked each other viciously over their respective scandals, attempting to gain advantage in a tight contest. So who is ahead? Well, it depends which polls you look at. Because while Giannoulias and Kirk are the headliners, two other candidates, the Green Party's LeAlan Jones and Libertarian Mike Labno, are each pulling in enough support to sway the results of this close race.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Stranger Than Fiction? TPM Casts The 2010 Midterms Movie]

One note: support for third-party candidates often comes up much lower on Election Day itself than compared to the pre-election polls. In many cases, voters who were thinking of casting a protest vote ultimately pick one of the two major-party candidates. However, this effect is very hard to predict.

That said, let's break down the numbers:

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IL-SEN

Kirk Accuses Giannoulias Of 'Immaturity' At Final IL-SEN Debate (VIDEO)

Eric Lach | October 28, 2010, 11:36AM

IL Senate candidates Alexi Giannoulias (D) and Mark Kirk (R)

Things got testy, once again, at the final televised debate last night between Illinois Senate candidates Democrat Alexi Giannoulias and Republican Rep. Mark Kirk. The race has been mired in negative ads, accusations and scandals on both sides for months, and that atmosphere carried over into last night.

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IL-SEN

Giannoulias Admits His Campaign Was Behind Flyer Touting Libertarian

Eric Lach | October 28, 2010, 10:16AM

IL-SEN candidate Alexi Giannoulias (D)

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Illinois Democratic Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias admitted yesterday that his campaign had a hand in a mailer sent to conservatives in downstate Illinois touting Libertarian Senate candidate Mike Labno as a "pro-life, pro-gun" alternative to Rep. Mark Kirk, the Republican nominee in the race.

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IL-SEN

Fox News Poll: GOPer Kirk Leads IL-SEN By Two Points

Eric Lach | October 26, 2010, 11:14AM

IL Senate candidates Alexi Giannoulias (D) and Mark Kirk (R)

A new Fox News poll of the Illinois Senate race shows Republican Rep. Mark Kirk (43%) with a two-point lead over Democrat Alexi Giannoulias (41%).

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IL-SEN

DSCC Poll: Giannoulias Up By 2 Points In IL-SEN

Eric Lach | October 25, 2010, 3:16PM

IL-SEN candidates Alexi Giannoulias (D) and Rep. Mark Kirk (R)

A new Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee poll of the Illinois Senate race shows Democrat Alexi Giannoulias leading Republican Rep. Mark Kirk 41%-39% in a head-to-head match-up, with 19% of likely voters still undecided.

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IL-SEN

Tribune Poll: Kirk Leads Giannoulias By 3 Points In IL-SEN

Eric Lach | October 25, 2010, 10:57AM

IL Senate candidates Alexi Giannoulias (D) and Mark Kirk (R)

A new Chicago Tribune/WGN poll of the Illinois Senate race shows a still-close contest, but the numbers show a five-point swing in favor of Republican Rep. Mark Kirk since the last Tribune poll.

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2010 elections

MoveOn Takes On Corporate-Funded Campaigns In New Set Of 28 Ads

Marc Kilstein | October 22, 2010, 8:43AM

MoveOn ad, "Our Ad"

In a new television ad blitz, the liberal grassroots group MoveOn.org Political Action is releasing 28 new TV spots in various toss up Senate and House races across the country. The ads take aim at Republican candidates who have benefited from "corporate front-group spending," as the organization has stepped up its fight against corporate money in politics following the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

The ads, which use a single template for all 28 races, are titled "Our ad." They feature pictures of MoveOn members holding up signs, reiterating the narrator's script: "This ad is not paid for by the corporate front groups and oil billionaires who are trying to buy this election. This is our ad made by hard working Americans who live right here in [name of contest's state] and we have one simple message. [Name of Republican candidate] is backed by one of those front groups, and if he's on their side, then he's sure not on ours. Vote [name of Democratic candidate]."

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IL-SEN

DSCC Ad: 'Mark Kirk Didn't Tell The Truth' About His Military Record (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | October 21, 2010, 4:34PM

DSCC ad, "Honor"

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has a new ad in the Illinois Senate race, with veterans attacking Republican nominee Mark Kirk for his past false statements about his military record, and his votes against combat bonuses and job training for veterans.

"Honor and integrity," says one veteran. "That's what military service is all about."

"But Mark Kirk didn't tell the truth about his," another says.

After veterans go through Kirk's various votes, one of them concludes: "Mark Kirk serves himself -- not us."

The TPM Poll Average gives Kirk 44.1%, Democratic nominee Alexi Giannoulias 42.3%, and Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones 3.6%.

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IL-SEN

IL-SEN Ad Attacks Kirk By Tying Him To Bush (VIDEO)

Eric Lach | October 20, 2010, 3:47PM

A new ad from Working for Us PAC in the Illinois Senate race attacks Republican Rep. Mark Kirk by painting him as a "yes man" to President George W. Bush.

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IL-SEN

PPP Poll: GOPer Kirk Leads In Tight IL-SEN Race

Marc Kilstein | October 20, 2010, 3:45PM

IL-SEN candidates Alexi Giannoulias (D) and Rep. Mark Kirk (R)

A new PPP poll of the Illinois Senate race finds Republican Rep. Mark Kirk edging out Democratic state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, 42%-40%, with Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones earning 4% and Libertarian Mike Labno polling at 3%.

PPP last looked at this race in late- eptember, finding Kirk with a four point lead over Giannoulias, 40%-36%, while Jones pulled in a more noteworthy 8% and Labno earned 3%. When the latest survey asked respondents in a follow up question to suppose that the Republican and Democrat were the only candidates in the race, Kirk topped Giannoulias by one point, 46%-45%.

A Rasmussen poll released earlier today had the Kirk-Giannoulias-Jones matchup at 44%-40%-4%, with the Republican coming out on top.

When considering the four-candidate matchup, the TPM Poll Average shows a near deadlock between the two leading candidates: Kirk earns 41.1% versus Giannoulias's 41.0%, while Jones polls at 3.5% and Labno earns 2.6%. The margin of error for the latest survey is ±4.2 percentage points.

For more on the race, check out TPMDC's full coverage here.

IL-SEN

Rasmussen Poll: Kirk Leads By Four Points In IL-SEN

Eric Kleefeld | October 20, 2010, 9:42AM

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL)

The new Rasmussen poll of the Illinois Senate race gives Republican Mark Kirk a narrow lead against Democrat Alexi Giannoulias, for the Senate seat formerly held by President Obama.

The numbers: Kirk 44%, Giannoulias 40%, and Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones 4%. The survey of likely voters has a ±4% margin of error. In the previous Rasmussen poll from last week, Giannoulias had 44%, Kirk 43%, and Jones 4%.

From the pollster's analysis: "Highlighting the closeness of this contest is the fact that Kirk and Giannoulias have now run within four points or less of each other in 10 surveys since early June. Jones' support has held steady at four percent (4%) for the last three surveys."

This new poll was conducted entirely before last night's acrimonious debate, but it does provide a useful baseline measurement for any potential changes down the line. The TPM Poll Average gives Kirk 44.1%, Giannoulias 42.3%, and Jones 3.6%.

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IL-SEN

Giannoulias To Kirk: 'You're Trying To Suppress The African-American Vote'

Eric Lach | October 19, 2010, 9:52PM

IL-SEN candidates Alexi Giannoulias (D) and Rep. Mark Kirk (R)

Tonight's debate between the candidates for Senate in Illinois featured long discussions of the issues and controversies that have dogged both candidates during the entire campaign -- and also touched on some of the hot political issues of the day, including campaign spending and the federal budget. Often, the candidates went right from answering a question to attacking the other.

But in the most controversial moment of the evening, the candidates argued over recent charges that the Rep. Mark Kirk (R) was working to suppress African-American turnout.

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IL-SEN

Giannoulias Ad: Kirk's 'Whole Political Career Is Probably A Lie' (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | October 15, 2010, 4:53PM

Alexi Giannoulias campaign ad, "My Left Foot"

Democratic candidate Alexi Giannoulias has a new ad in the hard-fought Illinois Senate race, and it pulls no punches in presenting Republican candidate Mark Kirk as an out-of-touch Washington politician who lied about his military service.

"Mark Kirk lied about going to war, opposed middle-class tax cuts,and said unemployment's not that big an issue," the announcer says. "What do you say?"

Clips of various folks, depicted as average people on the street, are shown talking to the camera and saying such things as: "I don't think he has a clue about unemployment," "He's been in Washington too long," and "His whole political career is probably a lie," and more.

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IL-SEN

Poll: GOPer Kirk and Dem Giannoulias Nearly Tied In IL-SEN Race

Marc Kilstein | October 13, 2010, 4:01PM

IL-SEN candidates Alexi Giannoulias (D) and Rep. Mark Kirk (R)

New poll, same story-- the Illinois Senate race between Democratic state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and Republican Rep. Mark Kirk is really, really close.

A new survey of the race finds Kirk leading Giannoulias 37.3%-36.8%, with Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones earning 3.3% and Libertarian Mike Labno polling at 1.8%. The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale conducted the poll; it is the first time they have surveyed the contest.

In the last two months of polling, no survey has seen the Kirk-Giannoulias matchup produce a margin greater than four points. When considering the four-candidate matchup, the TPM Poll Average shows a near tie between the two leading candidates: Kirk earns 38.7% versus Giannoulias's 38.0%, while Jones polls at 3.2% and Labno earns 2.0%. The margin of error for the latest survey is ±3.5 percentage points.

For more on the race, check out TPMDC's full coverage here.

IL-SEN

Rasmussen Poll: Dem Giannoulias Up 1 In IL-SEN Race

Marc Kilstein | October 12, 2010, 4:51PM

IL-SEN candidates Alexi Giannoulias (D) and Rep. Mark Kirk (R)

A newly released Rasmussen survey of the Illinois Senate race shows Democratic state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias edging out Republican Rep. Mark Kirk, 44%-43%, with Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones polling at 4%.

When Rasmussen took a look at this race last week, Kirk was leading with 45%, while Giannoulias earned 41% and Jones pulled in 4%. In the last two months of polling, no survey has produced a margin greater than four points separating the Democratic and Republican nominees.

The TPM Poll Average shows a near tie between the two leading candidates: Kirk earns 43.8% versus Giannoulias's 43.7%, while Jones polls at 4.1%. The margin of error for the latest survey is ±4.0 percentage points.

For more on the race, check out TPMDC's full coverage here.

IL-SEN

Giannoulias: Being A 'Fiscal Hawk' May Be Kirk's Biggest 'Whopper'

Eric Lach | October 10, 2010, 12:17PM

IL Senate candidates Alexi Giannoulias (D) and Mark Kirk (R)

Locked in a tight race, the candidates for Senate in Illinois appeared on Meet The Press today, and debated issues including tax cuts, health care and spending. Democrat Alexi Giannoulias and Republican Rep. Mark Kirk also faced questions about the scandals that have marred each of their campaigns.

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IL-SEN

Poll: GOPer Kirk Leads Dem Giannoulias By 1 In IL-SEN Race

Marc Kilstein | October 4, 2010, 4:01PM

IL-SEN candidates Alexi Giannoulias (D) and Rep. Mark Kirk (R)

A newly released poll of the Illinois Senate race shows Republican Rep. Mark Kirk edging out Democratic state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, 42%-41%, with Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones polling at 4% and Libertarian candidate Mike Labno earning 3%.

The latest numbers are from Suffolk University's first poll on the race. Last week saw a Chicago Tribune poll give Giannoulias a 38%-36% lead over Kirk, while a CNN/Time survey had the Democrat ahead by one, 43%-42%.

The TPM Poll Average of the matchup shows Kirk leading Giannoulias 41.3%-40.0%. The margin of error for the latest survey is ±4.4 percentage points.

For more on the race, check out TPMDC's full coverage here.

IL-SEN

Fox News Poll: Kirk Leads Giannoulias By Two Points In IL-SEN

Eric Kleefeld | September 28, 2010, 1:16PM

IL-SEN candidates Rep. Mark Kirk (R) and state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias (D)

The new Fox News poll of the Illinois Senate race gives Republican Mark Kirk a narrow lead over Democrat Alexi Giannoulias -- with quite a few protest votes for the Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones.

The numbers: Kirk 42%, Giannoulias 40%, and Jones 7%. The survey of likely voters has a ±3% margin of error. There is no previous Fox News poll of this race. However, this poll was conducted through a Rasmussen offshoot, Pulse Opinion Research, which performs made-to-order robopolls. In the previous Rasmussen poll from last week, Kirk had 44%, Giannoulias 41%, and Jones 4%.

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Elaine Marshall

Elaine Marshall Supports Letting High-Income Tax Cuts Expire

Brian Beutler | September 22, 2010, 3:18PM

NC-SEN candidate Elaine Marshall (D)

While incumbent Democrats run scared from a fight over letting tax cuts for wealthy Americans expire, some Democratic hopefuls are running openly on President Obama's platform.

Take Elaine Marshall, running to unseat Sen. Richard Burr in red North Carolina.

"She thinks the rich can pay their fair share," her spokesman Sam Swartz told TPMDC.

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IL-SEN

Rasmussen Poll: GOPer Kirk Leads Dem Giannoulias By 3 In IL-SEN Race

Marc Kilstein | September 22, 2010, 3:07PM

IL-SEN candidates Alexi Giannoulias (D) and Rep. Mark Kirk (R)

A new Rasmussen poll of the Illinois Senate race shows Republican Rep. Mark Kirk on top of Democratic state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias 44%-41%, with Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones pulling in 4%.

When Rasmussen looked at the race on September 7, Kirk led 41%-37%. The TPM Poll Average of the matchup shows a very tight race-- Kirk is ahead of Giannoulias 41.3%-40.0%.

The margin of error for the latest survey is ±4.0 percentage points.

For more on the race, check out TPMDC's full coverage here.

IL-SEN

Dem Ad Quotes Mark Kirk: 'I Have A Very High-Income District' (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | September 21, 2010, 10:59AM

Ad from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, "Problems"

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has a new ad in the Illinois Senate race, attacking Republican Congressman Mark Kirk for being out of touch on unemployment.

"We've heard a lot about Mark Kirk's problems lately," the announcer says, referring to Kirk's past misstatements about his military record. "But Kirk doesn't know much about ours.

"On unemployment, Kirk said, 'I've heard very little...I have a very high-income district.' And he voted six times against extending benefits for laid-off workers, and five times to block increasing the minimum wage -- while voting to raise his own pay six times."

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2010 elections

Forget January: Several New Senators May Be Seated Shortly After November Election

Eric Kleefeld | September 14, 2010, 8:43AM

Mark Kirk

This year's Senate elections are widely expected to produce substantial Republican gains in the Senate, producing a much less Democratic chamber come January. But in fact, some races present the possibility of the GOP making gains almost immediately, with the winners (of whatever party) sworn in soon after the election.

The reason is simple: These are special elections, with current incumbent members who were appointed to fill vacancies. (Only one sitting member in these seats, Dem Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, is seeking election -- the others are open seats). Just as the upset win of Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) in this past January's special election enabled the GOP to immediately improve from 40 seats to 41 -- and change the entire dynamic of the Senate -- any additional GOP members from a few key states could immediately strengthen the GOP for the lame duck session between the election and January.

Indeed, at least two candidates, Republican Mark Kirk of Illinois and Republican Christine O'Donnell of Delaware, have expressly campaigned on the prospect of taking office immediately. While it remains unclear just how much Democrats would be able to do in a lame-duck session that they couldn't do now -- after all, Republicans would be able to filibuster any major policy changes until January already, regardless of how many new Republican senators are seated right after the election -- it nevertheless has lingered as a political issue.

So let's take a look at these races.

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2010 elections

TPM's Top 10 Senate Races To Watch

Brian Beutler | September 13, 2010, 8:35AM

Kentucky Senate candidates Jack Conway and Rand Paul talk with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

Campaign season doesn't really heat up until September ... which means now. That means all the scandals and ads and ups and downs you've heard and read about in the last several months were just stage-setters. Most voters really begin paying attention now.

It's looking like a tough year for Senate Democrats, almost of whom are polling below 50 percent. Several weeks ago, many Republicans -- including NRSC Chair John Cornyn -- thought Republicans wouldn't be able to retake the Senate. Today, it's a distinct possibility. There are a number of critical races, but you should really keep an eye on these 10.

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