Just a quick blurb is all so far:
WASHINGTON — Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) is poised to jump in the 2010 Illinois Senate race.
Developing …
More as it comes. Earlier today, James posted a PPP poll which showed Kirk in the mid-30s against all contenders except the embarrassing Roland Burris.
If Kirk does make the move, this will be great news for open seat fans. At D+6, this is the second-bluest seat held by a Republican nationwide. Obama won the district (in his home state, of course) by a monstrous 61-38 margin according to SSP’s analysis, and even Kerry carried it 53-47. Democrats also have a strong contender at the ready for this seat, state Sen. Michael Bond, though I’d expect others to become interested if it opens up.
UPDATE (James): In a bit of a sleazy move, Lynn Sweet of the Sun-Times has wiped over her original blog post on Kirk’s supposed entry without making a note of her revision, and replaced it with a new entry saying that he is merely “mulling” the race — hardly a newsworthy nugget at all.
1. Eventually he’s either going to be defeated or simply drawn out of his seat.
2. There’s a non-zero chance that he might actually get to run against Roland Burris.
I think #2 is pretty close to impossible, but #1 seems likely. For him, why not go for the gold. Personally, I’m not too worried, though.
are impressive.
if Dan Seals squeeks by, based on name recognition, in a multi-candidate primary. For whatever reason, the voters in this district don’t seem to like him very much.
We knew for months that he’s been mulling it.
Is that Roskam foolishly jumps into the Senate race as well, leaving IL-06 open. He’d probably beat Kirk in a primary.
had similar stories. non-politicians running against experienced veterans who are able to appear “congressional” and moderate. i think bond will be stronger.
LA-2 (D+25) and DE-At Large (D+7)are bluer. Joe Cao may be on borrowed time but he’s still there.