During a debate Thursday evening, Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) unleashed a racist attack on his Democratic challenger’s family.
Democratic Illinois Rep. Tammy Duckworth’s father is American, and her family has served in the U.S. military dating back to the Revolutionary War. Duckworth herself is a Purple Heart winner — she lost both of her legs after her Black Hawk helicopter was hit by a rocket propelled grenade in Iraq. She’s the first disabled female veteran to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Duckworth’s mother was a Thai immigrant. And in response to Duckworth’s discussion of her family’s military background and how that will impact her thinking when considering whether to send troops abroad, Kirk mocked her.
“I forgot that your parents came all the way from Thailand to serve George Washington,” Kirk said.
Wider context of that Mark Kirk line: Duckworth was talking about US intervention in Syria then moved to her & her family's experience pic.twitter.com/GhINSDnMjF
— Brandon Wall (@Walldo) October 28, 2016
Following the debate, the Kirk campaign released a statement that stopped short of an apology.
“Sen. Kirk has consistently called Rep. Duckworth a war hero and honors her family’s service to this country,” it said. “But that’s not what this debate was about. Rep. Duckworth lied about her legal troubles, was unable to defend her failures at the VA, and then falsely attacked Sen. Kirk over his record on supporting gay rights.”
Duckworth, meanwhile, responded with a photo of her family.
My mom is an immigrant and my dad and his family have served this nation in uniform since the Revolution #ILSEN pic.twitter.com/ehEBHswFMs
— Tammy Duckworth (@TammyforIL) October 28, 2016
Kirk’s comment comes a year and a half after he said he wouldn’t talk about race or ethnicity during the campaign. He made that vow after being being widely criticized for describing “the black community” as “the one we drive faster through.”
This wasn’t the first time Kirk appeared to break his pledge. Last year, Kirk referred to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) as “a bro with no ho… that’s what we’d say on the South Side.” (Graham is single.) And in August of this year, he described President Obama as acting “like the drug dealer in chief.” (Kirk has also referred to the president’s middle name of Hussein while criticizing his Middle East policy.)
Kirk has also been caught inflating his military record on numerous occasions. The Navy Reserve veteran once said he came under fire in Iraq (there’s no record of that), served in a combat role in Kosovo (he didn’t), and repeatedly characterized a required training mission to Afghanistan as a deployment.
In June, Kirk became the first Republican member of Congress to un-endorse Donald Trump. In a statement released at the time, he cited Trump’s racist attacks on a Latino federal judge and Trump’s temperament. Kirk has since run anti-Trump ads. Following last night’s gaffe, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway indicated the Trump camp hasn’t forgotten.
The same Mark Kirk that unendorsed his party's presidential nominee and called him out in paid ads? Gotcha. Good luck. https://t.co/IV7miL317s
— Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) October 28, 2016
Kirk is facing an uphill battle to keep his seat. RealClearPolitics pegged Duckworth up by seven points as of early this month.
UPDATE: Kirk has now apologized.
Sincere apologies to an American hero, Tammy Duckworth, and gratitude for her family's service. #ilsen
— Mark Kirk (@MarkKirk) October 28, 2016