The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Kirk for Senate?

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Many Illinois Democrats are calling for a special election to fill the Senate seat that Barack Obama is vacating and that Rod Blagojevich attempted to sell; that includes the leaders of both houses of the state legislature, which probably makes a special election inevitable. Contra Jim Geraghty's reader, I wouldn't count on Jim Edgar running; the Illinois GOP has tried before to get Edgar to come out of retirement before and he hasn't seemed interested. Liberal Republican Congressman Mark Kirk is considering a run, however, and he'd be a strong candidate.

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Stephen | 12.10.08 @ 4:54PM

Why would a "Liberal Republican" be a strong candidate?

Sarge6| 12.10.08 @ 7:13PM

Mark Kirk is solid, definitely not a RINO. He represents the North Shore suburbs (WASP, Jewish, and wealthy) so a red-meat social conservative just ain't happening. He's also a serving Naval Reserve intelligence officer. Webpage here: http://www.house.gov/kirk/

Another guy to keep an eye on is Rep. Peter Roskum: http://roskam.house.gov/

Interested Conservative| 12.10.08 @ 10:04PM

I live in the district, and have lived in Texas and Ohio as well, and while Kirk might be "liberal" to those farther right, he's no RINO, nor is he really liberal. He's actually in the mold of most Illini GOP (not a hallmark of success lately) but very experienced and solid.

He'd be very competitive, and Roskum to lesser extent.

On local radio today he was of course going after Blags, but equally so the entire state governing class, even hinting in many ways that it's clearly where Obama's come from.

In many ways he's a younger version of Sen. Lugar, and similar to Gov. Daniels - the nearest most successful current GOP officeholders.

He'd be a real plus, which is why the national dems don't want a special, but the local reaction may force it.

Also, a quick vote could minimize the cash factor to an extent, and perhaps dilute, however slightly, whatever weight the Obama machine could bring to bear.