Duckworth launches Illinois Senate bid

Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) on Monday officially launched her campaign to unseat Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) on Monday, setting up one of 2016’s most high-profile Senate battles.

“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.

{mosads}“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,” added the second-term House Democrat.

A disabled Iraq War veteran, Duckworth highlighted her military experience and the injuries she suffered on a combat mission, 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.”

Duckworth was the first disabled female veteran elected to the House.

Both Duckworth and Kirk face physical disabilities. Kirk is also a military veteran and has been battling back from a massive stroke in 2012. He uses a cane or a wheelchair to get around on Capitol Hill.

Kirk is one of the top targets for Democrats in 2016, and the only Republican senator up for reelection next year who is running in a deep blue state. He served five terms in the House before getting elected to the Senate during the 2010 GOP wave, when he defeated a flawed Democratic candidate, Alexi Giannoulias, to capture President Obama’s old seat.

In a statement responding to Duckworth’s candidacy, Kirk sought to highlight his bipartisan accomplishments and “independent leadership.”

“Senator Mark Kirk has served as a voice for all the people of Illinois throughout his time in the Congress,” he said. “He works across the aisle to take on the Veterans Administration for corruption and mistreatment of our returning heroes in Illinois, cut spending and block Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Senator Kirk looks forward to a conversation on the issues that matter most to voters across the state including his proven record of thoughtful, independent leadership, and his work each and every day to serve Illinois families.”

The National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee also sought to frame Kirk as an independent, while painting Duckworth as a liberal.

“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, referencing Illinois’s disgraced former governor who went to prison on corruption charges.

“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,” Bozek added. “Senator Kirk’s record of accomplishment and thoughtful independence will outshine any candidate that emerges from the Democrat primary in Illinois.”

Senate Democrats are hoping to take advantage of a favorable electoral map in 2016 to reclaim a majority in the upper chamber. A victory in traditionally blue Illinois will be critical in that effort. 

Still, Kirk remains relatively popular in the state, and Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R), elected last November, is evidence that Republicans can compete in statewide races.
 
Duckworth will begin the race as the frontrunner in the Democratic primary. 

National and state political operatives had long been courting Duckworth for the race. Still, she could face challenges from a handful of other Illinois Democrats, including Reps. Bill Foster, Rep. Cheri Bustos and Robin Kelly.

Kirk had about $2 million in his campaign account at the end of 2014. Duckworth had about half that amount.

This story was updated at 12:09 p.m.