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Duckworth to announce on Monday

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Rep. Tammy Duckworth D-Ill., will announce a 2016 Senate bid on Monday, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned. She is aiming to win the Democratic nomination to run against Sen. Mark Kirk R-Ill.

She is expected to release an announcement via some media platform and then later in the day head into a fundraiser at the Hancock Center in Chicago with her best supporters.

…Adding… Roll Call…

State Sens. Tom Cullerton and Mike Noland, as well as former Illinois Deputy Treasurer Raja Krishnamoorthi, are considering bids for Duckworth’s seat, located west of Chicago.

Krishnamoorthi lost a 2012 primary challenge against Duckworth — when Democrats were looking to oust then-Rep. Joe Walsh. Duckworth had support from a number of Illinois Democrats, most notably Sen. Richard J. Durbin. Yet Krishnamoorthi stayed in the primary, raising more than $1 million.

Cullerton, who hails from Villa Park, is from a well-known political family in Illinois. His cousin, John Cullerton, is the state Senate president — a powerful position in Springfield. His other cousin, Timothy Cullerton, is from a long line of Chicago aldermen. Cullerton, an Army veteran, has strong ties to labor — a powerful influencer in Illinois politics. He won his competitively drawn state Senate seat in 2012 with union support.

Noland represents a state Senate district that encompasses Elgin, Ill., located in the far western portion of the district. A Marine veteran, Noland has served in the state Senate since 2007.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 3:00 pm

Comments

Not a surprise. Monday will be a day after we learn about the President’s Iran deal, according to Drudge. That’ll be a good start for press questions, considering Kirk is about as hard-core as it gets in the fight to keep nukes out of the Iranian hands. Duckworth will have to get up to speed on foreign policy pronto.

Comment by Team America Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 3:07 pm
Cullerton and Noland would have to give up their state seats to run I expect.

Comment by nona Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 3:08 pm
Another Blagojevich appointee carries on…

Comment by Under Further Review Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 3:09 pm
She’ll be tough, and a bruising primary, if there is one, won’t help her.

Couple things I do know;

Money, generally won’t be a problem as Kirk is the “#1 Target” and her story, if/when Duckworth gets out of the primary.

Duckworth now has a record, and she’ll have to defend it statewide.

Could be a “Hillary/Duckworth” November, dunno how that will be after primaries.

Kirk will have enough money. Kirk has a pretty accessible bank.

Kirk’s Crew? Dunno about the locals “coming home” to help, but I’m sure getting a Crew, campaign Crew for the #1 Target in the US Senate should attract some serious talent.

It’s on. Starting Monday, till March, and maybe beyond…

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 3:13 pm
I wonder why people don’t ask about Rep. Duckworth’s attendance? She’s missed a lot of votes. #absenteecongresswoman

Comment by Allen Skillicorn Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 3:14 pm
Probably because humans understand that she just had a kid.

Comment by Arsenal Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 3:17 pm
===She’s missed a lot of votes. #absenteecongresswoman===

Pretty sure that won’t be an issue with Mark Kirk. He missed quite a few votes himself.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 3:17 pm
Pretty sure Duckworth took a pretty public leave of absence to have a child. That’s a pretty good reason to miss some votes!

Comment by MoWatcher Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 3:20 pm
AS, yeah, lot of nerve missing work for the flimsy excuse of having a baby and all. That’s a real winner to go after.

Why don’t we ask Sen. Kirk what he thinks about that, the missing work due to a major life event?

You’re a brilliant political strategist, by the way.

Comment by Wordslinger Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 3:21 pm
Depends a lot on Hillary’s coattails, and not so sure about those.

Kirk’s an amazingly good campaigner, relative to his actual record.

Will be close.

Comment by walker Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 3:25 pm
Allen - I am and have always been a huge Kirk backer, but that’s rhetoric I would never use. After the potshots the NRSC took at former Senator Tim Johnson, we need to tread very lightly now that the shoe is on the other foot. Which is a stupid turn of phrase, but I digress.

Congresswoman Duckworth is a hero. She’s a new mommy, too. Cut her some slack.

Comment by Team Sleep Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 3:32 pm
Republicans blast women for missing work to have babies.
yeah, that’s a winner.

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 3:33 pm
Kirk has had a lot if flubs, and his signing up on the 47 Senators letter will do him no good either.

Comment by John Parnell Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 3:37 pm
I hope the Democrats considering running for Duckworth’s seat enjoy being politically irrelevant for at least 6 years because the GOP isn’t losing the House for the foreseeable future.

Comment by Hank Scorpio Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 3:38 pm
T. Cullerton running for Congress would be a huge blow to the Senate Dems. That seat is a prime example of why Governor Rauner set up a war chest.

Comment by Team Sleep Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 3:47 pm
As a republican, I wouldn’t mind if Cullerton ran for the open seat and won, and left open a Senate district for the GOP.

Comment by Modest Proposal Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 3:52 pm
I respect Duckworth for her Service, but she is not a good campaigner. With Obama on the ticket in 2012, she barely beat Joe Walsh in a Gerrymandered district. Kirk and Rauner will raise more $$$, and Tammy needs to take Speech lessons in a State and National race, not a local gimme.

Comment by Jonah Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 3:53 pm
I like Mark Kirk on a personal level and have a lot of admiration for the work he has done coming back from his stroke but the times I have seen him, it is clear that the stroke has taken a toll on him and his ability to pull through the grind of what is going to be a tough campaign …

Comment by The Way I See It Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 3:57 pm
Kirk is a battle tested warrior, who I admit did a poor job against Alexi in 2010, but still won.

He won two brutal races , in awful GOP years, in 2006 and 2008. Obama won the IL-10 by 30 points in 2008, and Kirk still won.

Rauner will call in the big boys to raise $$$ for Kirk, and that will dwarf Durbin and his pals

Comment by Jonah Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 3:57 pm
Dem US Senator Tim Johnson of SD had a major stroke in 2007, and stayed in the Senate till 2015.

Comment by Jonah Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:00 pm
Democrats never go after people with disabilities?

What about Sara Palin’s mentally challenged Son?

Comment by Jonah Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:02 pm
Jonah, what are you talking about? Who’s going after anyone about disabilities?

You understand that both Kirk and Duckworth often use wheelchairs, correct? Who would go after whom?

Comment by Wordslinger Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:07 pm
“With Obama on the ticket in 2012, she barely beat Joe Walsh in a Gerrymandered district. ”

She won by 10.

Comment by Arsenal Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:08 pm
“Rauner will call in the big boys to raise $$$ for Kirk, and that will dwarf Durbin and his pals”

Man, Rauner’s money sure has a lot of claimants.

Anyway, if you think the Dems #1 target raise won’t have every penny it needs to compete, it’s only because you really, really WANT to think that, not ’cause it’s rational.

Comment by Arsenal Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:09 pm
These are some pretty fascinating dominoes being lined up now. Fasten your seat belts kids. The under card just got infinitely more interesting. This sets up a number of tough races. Wonder if Raja was promised anything to stay out of Tammy’s way. Yep, very interesting chain of events.

Comment by A guy Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:11 pm
“Wonder if Raja was promised anything to stay out of Tammy’s way. ”

Well, considering he *didn’t*, such a promise would have been pretty moot…

Comment by Arsenal Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:13 pm
I don’t want to underestimate campaign skills, but in a Senate race in a state this large, less than 2% of voters will actually see the candidates in person. Assuming both party nominees have competent organizations, this will be won based on: 1) TV ads; 2) the top of the ticket; and 3) gaffes (or lack thereof). Duckworth’s story gives her an edge in # 1 and she already has an edge in # 2. # 3 can go either way.

Comment by 60611 Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:13 pm
I’m becoming more and more disappointed in Sen. Kirk who is starting to sound like an AIPAC puppet.

Comment by kimocat Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:20 pm
=== Arsenal - Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:13 pm:

“Wonder if Raja was promised anything to stay out of Tammy’s way. ”

Well, considering he *didn’t*, such a promise would have been pretty moot…====

This time silly.

Comment by A guy Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:26 pm
===Kirk is a battle tested warrior, who I admit did a poor job against Alexi in 2010, but still won.

He won two brutal races , in awful GOP years, in 2006 and 2008. Obama won the IL-10 by 30 points in 2008, and Kirk still won.===

Please note how all of this happened before the “battle-tested warrior” had a crippling stroke.

Comment by GraduatedCollegeStudent Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:28 pm
Many here tend to forget, that Duckworth lost to Roskam in 2006. Kirk has never lost a race

Comment by Jonah Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:31 pm
Arsenal, 10 points is close, when you run against a buffoon like Walsh, with Obama on the Ticket

Comment by Jonah Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:32 pm
===Arsenal, 10 points is close, when you run against a buffoon like Walsh, with Obama on the Ticket===

A 10 Point win/loss is never close.

Ever.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:37 pm
“This time silly.”

What an odd thing to think. You don’t need to make a deal to keep a twice-failed-candidate-who-is-publically-mulling-a-House-race out of a Senate race.

Comment by Arsenal Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:44 pm
“Arsenal, 10 points is close, when you run against a buffoon like Walsh, with Obama on the Ticket”

Then the Republicans would have put up a non-baffoon candidate last year, when Obama was off the ticket and their Gov candidate was flooding the suburbs. But here we are, so they clearly perceive some strength there.

(So does Kirk, for that matter.)

Comment by Arsenal Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:46 pm
Duckworth is not a top recruit like Lisa Madigan. Kirk dodged a bullet once again, thanks to her Father.

Comment by Jonah Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:48 pm
“Duckworth is not a top recruit.”

Actually, Duckworth has been consistently ID’d as one of the DSCC’s top choices for this seat.

“Kirk dodged a bullet once again, thanks to her Father.”

What’s with the capital F? I swear, the anti-Madigans revere the man more than any Dem I’ve ever met.

Comment by Arsenal Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:50 pm
Well it will be a tight race. Both are Veterans with disabilities. It bums me out how negative the ads will be, and there will be many with all the $$$ coming in. Turn off the TV in the Fall of 2016. All Have a Good weekend

Comment by Jonah Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:52 pm
Arsenal, Kirk would have retired if Madigan ran. Tammy has lost before, and needed a Gerrymandered seat to get in Congress. She is not ready for Primetime

Comment by Jonah Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:56 pm
Tammy is wonderful! And Tom Cullerton is a great guy, and a hard worker.

Comment by Amalia Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 4:59 pm
“Arsenal, Kirk would have retired if Madigan ran.”

That’s a fun thought experiment, but since we’ll never know, that doesn’t prove anything.

“Tammy has lost before”

So have the last 7 Presidents.

“She is not ready for Primetime”

I know you hope so, but you sure haven’t proven it yet.

Comment by Arsenal Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 5:04 pm
“Duckworth will have to get up to speed on foreign policy pronto.”

Whereas Senator Kirk should have already known that his letter violated both Federal Law and the Code of Military Conduct.

With all due respect, Kirk will have to find a whole new set of cards to play against Duckworth. Alexi was pretty, Tammy is gritty, a mom, smart and a hero, and pretty, thank you very much, with none of the low-hanging fruit issues Alexi had.

At his current rate of expenditure, Rauner’s friends will be bailing with dollars to keep him afloat rather than pouring it into Kirk’s bucket. They’re just now realizing how politically expensive a Rauner-led Illinois is going to be.

The whole, ‘not-ready’ meme was tried and failed. Obama is still the President.

Comment by Springfieldish Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 5:19 pm
Not a Duckworth fan, but Kirk is a lackluster senator and he signed that stupid letter to the mullahs. And his health problems on top of that. She’s got a reasonable chance.

Comment by Excessively Rabid Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 5:43 pm
A torrent of outside spending money - much of it undisclosed - is going to descend upon Illinois shortly, like nothing we’ve ever seen before in this state.

That’s my immediate takeaway, not really a reflection on Duckworth particularly. But, with Rauner self-funding and Illinois not especially competitive of late on the presidential and Senate fronts post-2010, we’ve been a bit shielded from the trends buffeting other states post-Citizens United.

That all changes now. Buckle up is right.

Comment by ZC Friday, Mar 27, 15 @ 5:55 pm
ZC is spot on - the dough is going to be the biggest story of this race. XPS and their new political shop have to be first in line to spend the Kirk money. Who’s likely to win the Duckworth dollars?

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Mar 30, 15 @ 8:53 am