Daily Herald: "Endorsement: Mark Kirk over Tammy Duckworth for Senate"
His intellect is as strong as ever. His willingness to cross the aisle or to break when necessary with his party may be even stronger than it had been in the past…For six years, Kirk has given all his devotion to the people of Illinois. We owe him and ourselves six years more.
The Herald-Whig: "Kirk has earned a second term as U.S. senator"
…he has demonstrated during his decade in the U.S. House and six years in the Senate to be a consensus builder committed to finding sensible solutions to problems facing Illinois and the country…Duckworth has compiled a thin legislative record during her time in Congress. She has sponsored just 12 bills, and none have passed committee. Her campaign for the Senate has yet to visit West-Central Illinois, raising questions on whether she understands the critical issues facing this region of the state…The most important consideration in deciding who can best represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate must be that Kirk has a proven track record and is considered one of the most thoughtful and independent members of Congress. We believe Sen. Mark Kirk has earned a second term in the U.S. Senate.
The News-Gazette: "Mark Kirk for Senate"
…Kirk has beaten long odds before…he demonstrated strong appeal to Democrats, Republicans and independents. It’s our hope he’ll do so again this year. The News-Gazette is endorsing Kirk because of his solid academic background, vast experience, political independence and sound judgment. Duckworth offers a reasonable alternative to the Republican incumbent, but lacks the qualities that have made him an exemplary public official… Kirk has never been reluctant to think for himself and show his cards…At the same time, Duckworth represents conventional liberalism, happily supporting the policy-of-the-day from the Obama administration and promising pretty much the same thing under a second President Clinton. There is nothing in her tenure as a member of Congress that has distinguished her as a deep thinker or leader on national issues. That kind of lockstep myopia led to a knee-jerk endorsement of the Iran agreement. Duckworth’s decision to support the Obama initiative looks worse every day in the face of continued hostility and aggressive action by the mullahs. At the same time, she has been equally dogmatic in supporting the admission of 200,000 Syrian refugees into this country…One could go on about the differences between the two. There are many. The biggest, however, is that Kirk has demonstrated his ability to function effectively in the Senate, both for Illinois and the nation. He’s earned re-election.
Northwest Herald: "Endorsement: U.S. Senate: Mark Kirk"
A former Navy reservist, Kirk is a fiscal conservative and social moderate…Duckworth says she supports free community college, though she doesn’t have a plan to pay for it…We endorse Kirk.
Together with its praise for Senator Kirk’s "thoughtful independence," the Journal Star also shed light on the extent to which Duckworth has ignored the central Illinois region throughout the primary and general elections:
Well, that’s a first — a major party candidate running for statewide office who does not respond to invitations to interview or to share her issue positions, even ignoring direct appeals from local party officials intervening on this newspaper’s behalf.
So it is with Tammy Duckworth, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, who with her conspicuous absences here in both the primary and general elections, has given us every indication she intends to be the U.S. senator of Cook County, not of Illinois.
Given Duckworth’s insistence on ignoring most of Illinois, one can’t help but wonder what the Rod Blagojevich appointee pays less attention to: the accounts of courageous VA whistleblowers or the state she seeks to serve in the Senate.
Voters deserve a senator whose visits to central and southern Illinois extend beyond an appearance before a judge at the Union County Courthouse.
In case you missed it, read the Journal Star’s endorsement of Senator Mark Kirk:
Endorsement: U.S. Senate, Mark Kirk
Journal Star
October 21, 2016
Well, that’s a first — a major party candidate running for statewide office who does not respond to invitations to interview or to share her issue positions, even ignoring direct appeals from local party officials intervening on this newspaper’s behalf.
So it is with Tammy Duckworth, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, who with her conspicuous absences here in both the primary and general elections, has given us every indication she intends to be the U.S. senator of Cook County, not of Illinois. In our experience, if you don’t even see a candidate during a campaign, when they need something — votes, with their very livelihood depending on them — the odds go up considerably that you won’t lay eyes on them once they’re safely seated.
Duckworth, 48, of suburban Hoffman Estates, is a two-term congresswoman with a compelling personal story — she lost both legs in an attack while serving her country in Iraq in 2004 — but she has done little to earn the Peoria area’s support. She’s made but a handful of quickie visits over the last couple of years — two of them in Labor Day parades — in which her engagement with potential voters can generously be described as limited.
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…we’ve never met her and her no-show automatically forfeits this newspaper’s endorsement.
Her opponent, incumbent Sen. Mark Kirk, 57, of Highland Park, has his own personal triumph story, coming back from a major stroke suffered in 2012.
Like her, he’s a military veteran.
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We admire his thoughtful independence…
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…his intellect remains, and his vote reliably reflects our moderate stances on most issues. He knows central Illinois’ leaders by name, which we don’t always find in statewide candidates.
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All in all, this is not a difficult call. We endorse Mark Kirk for another term representing Illinois in the U.S. Senate.