Chicago Tribune Endorses Tammy Duckworth, Cites Mark Kirk’s Health Following Stroke

In this Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014 photo, Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Il., speaks with reporters about the the release of a website titled Benghazi on the Record, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Hou... In this Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014 photo, Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Il., speaks with reporters about the the release of a website titled Benghazi on the Record, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. House Select Committee on Benghazi Ranking Member Rep. Elijah Cummings, D- Md., is at the rear. The effort to train and arm Syrian rebels is proving a tough sell with some Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans in Congress. Wariness of the plan crossed party lines in a House vote on Wednesday. Republican and Democratic veterans alike say they fear weapons and training will one day be used against Americans instead of militants seeking an Islamic state. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) MORE LESS
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CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Tribune has endorsed Democratic U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth for the U.S. Senate, arguing that incumbent Republican Mark Kirk is unable to fully do the job after recovering from a stroke.

The newspaper said Friday (http://trib.in/2e2Bg7d ) that “due to forces beyond his control, Kirk no longer can perform to the fullest the job of a U.S. senator.”

Kirk spokesman Kevin Artl called it “a low-blow and cheap shot” that’s “not based on fact or reality.”

The newspaper endorsed Duckworth despite noting that Kirk’s socially moderate and fiscally conservative positions mirror those of its editorial page.

Kirk suffered a stroke in 2012 and returned to the Senate in 2013. The newspaper said Kirk is not “as influential an advocate in Washington as he was for more than a decade.”

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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