Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) at a Senate Appropriations Committee markup on Thursday made a rather direct joke about Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) being single.
“I’ve been joking with Lindsey. Did you see that? He’s going to have a rotating first lady. He’s a bro with no ho,” Kirk said. The Huffington Post first flagged Kirk’s comments.
The joke came after Graham, a 2016 presidential candidate, said he would have a rotating first lady in the White House.
Asked by Politico later on Thursday if he regretted making the joke, the Illinois senator said “I do.”
Graham is not married and has no children. In a recent interview with the Daily Mail Online Graham said his sister would play the role of first lady if elected.
“Well, I’ve got a sister. She could play that role if necessary,” Graham said. “I’ve got a lot of friends. We’ll have a rotating first lady.”
Graham has shrugged off suggestions though that that makes him harder to relate as a presidential candidate.
“I feel real comfortable with who I am and the life I’ve lived,” Graham told The Huffington Post recently. “The last time I checked, I didn’t see a sign on the White House that said ‘single people need not apply.'”
Listen to Kirk’s joke below. His comments start about halfway through the first minute:
This story has been updated.
