{{For|the American art director|Mark-Lee Kirk}}
Mark Steven Kirk (born September 15, 1959) has been a
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
member of the
United States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the "House," is the lower house of the bicameral United States Congress, the upper house being the United States Senate. The composition and powers of the House and the Senate are established in Article One of the Constitution...
since 2001. Kirk is running for a position in the
SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the lower house being the House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate and the House are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution . Each U.S state is represented by two senators,...
in
2010Elections to the United States Senate will be held on November 2, 2010, for at least 36 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate. There will also be a special election on January 19, 2010....
.
Early life and education
Kirk was born in
Champaign, IllinoisChampaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, in the United States. The city is located south of Chicago, west of Indianapolis, Indiana, and 178 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of...
, graduated from Joseph Sears School in
KenilworthKenilworth is a village in Cook County, Illinois, approximately 17 mi north of downtown Chicago. It is the newest of the nine suburban North Shore communities bordering Lake Michigan, and is the only one developed as a planned community...
, an extremely privileged Chicago suburb, in 1973, and
New Trier East High SchoolNew Trier High School is a public four-year high school with its major campus located in Winnetka, Illinois, USA, and a second campus in Northfield, Illinois, with freshman classes and district administration...
in 1977. He attended the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México before graduating cum laude in history from
Cornell UniversityCornell University is a private university located in Ithaca, New York, USA, that is a member of the Ivy League.Cornell counts more than 255,000 living alumni, 28 Rhodes Scholars and 41 Nobel laureates affiliated with the university as faculty or students...
. Kirk received a master's degree from the
London School of EconomicsThe London School of Economics and Political Science, commonly referred to as the London School of Economics or LSE, is a specialist constituent college of the University of London in London, England....
, and a
Juris DoctorJuris Doctor is a first professional degree.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century as a degree similar to the old European doctor of law degree...
degree from
Georgetown UniversityGeorgetown University is a Jesuit private university located in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. Father John Carroll founded the school in 1789, though its roots extend back to 1634. While the school struggled financially in its early years, Georgetown expanded into a branched university after the...
.
Kirk was commissioned in 1989 as an intelligence officer in the
Naval ReserveThe United States Navy Reserve , until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are enrolled in the Selected Reserve , the the Full Time Support , or Retired Reserve program...
. He is one of only two members of
CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election....
serving as a drilling reservist one weekend a month and two weeks a year. In the Navy, Kirk served during conflicts with
HaitiHaiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Creole- and French-speaking Caribbean country. Along with the Dominican Republic, it occupies the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago...
,
BosniaBosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( or (Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian Latin: Bosna i Hercegovina; Serbian Cyrillic: Босна и Херцеговина) is a country in Southeast Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula...
and
KosovoKosovo is a disputed territory in the Balkans. Its majority is governed by the partially-recognised Republic of Kosovo , a self-declared independent state which has de facto control over the territory; the exceptions are some Serb enclaves...
. He served aboard
USS NormandyUSS Normandy is a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser in the service of the United States Navy. She is named for the World War II Battle of Normandy, France, on and following D-Day.-Service history:...
and
USS John C StennisUSS John C. Stennis is the seventh Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier in the United States Navy, named for Senator John C. Stennis of Mississippi. She was commissioned on 9 December 1995...
. Kirk also served three tours in
PanamaPanama, officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of both Central America and, in turn, North America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the...
.
Career prior to election to Congress
Kirk worked on the staff of his predecessor, Congressman
John PorterJohn Edward Porter is a former United States Representative from Illinois.Porter was born in Evanston, Illinois, was educated in public schools, and then attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology for one year before receiving a B.S. and B.A. from Northwestern University in 1957...
, and eventually became his chief of staff. Kirk then worked at the
World BankThe World Bank is an international financial institution that provides leveraged loans to poorer countries for capital programs, tied to neoliberal market restructurings...
(1990) before President
George H. W. BushGeorge Herbert Walker Bush was the 41st President of the United States . He was also Ronald Reagan's Vice President , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence....
named him as the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. {{Citation needed|date=July 2007}} President
Bill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the third-youngest president; only Theodore Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy were younger when entering office...
reappointed Kirk to work in his Administration on the restoration of democracy in
HaitiHaiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Creole- and French-speaking Caribbean country. Along with the Dominican Republic, it occupies the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago...
.{{Citation needed|date=July 2007}}
Kirk then practiced law with
Baker & McKenzieBaker & McKenzie is an international law firm, founded in Chicago in 1949 by Russell Baker and John McKenzie. One of the first law firms to be truly global, it is now home to more than 3,900 lawyers spread over more than 70 offices in 38 different countries....
(1993–94) before being named as a Counsel to the House International Relations Committee.
Personal Life
Kirk finalized his divorce from his first wife, Kimberly Vertolli, in the summer of 2009.
Election and re-elections
{{See also|United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2008#District 10}}
{{See also|Illinois's 10th congressional district election, 2006}}
Kirk defeated 11 candidates for Congress in the 2000
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
primary. He then won in general elections with 51% (2000), 69% (2002), 64% (2004), 53% (2006) and 54% (2008). His opponents were Lauren Beth Gash, Hank Perrit, Lee Goodman and, most recently, Dan Seals (06 & 08).
In 2008, Kirk defeated
DemocraticThe Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
challenger
Dan SealsDaniel Joseph Seals is an American business consultant and a Democratic politician from Illinois. Seals was the Democratic nominee in two campaigns to become U.S. Representative for . Both times he was defeated by incumbent Mark Kirk...
by a six-point margin.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Appropriations
The Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is in charge of setting the specific expenditures of money by the government of the United States...
- Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government
U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Service and General Government is a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations. It was created in 2007 align the operations of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees...
- Subcommittee on Homeland Security
The House Subcommittee on Homeland Security is a standing subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee.-Members, 111th Congress:-External links:**...
- Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
The House Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs is a standing subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee. Prior to 2008, it was known as the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs....
Political actions and positions
On his Congressional campaign website, Kirk stated that he works to advance a suburban agenda that is pro-defense, pro-personal responsibility, pro-environment, and pro-science. He also claims that he wrote a number of provisions which became law, including funding for commuter rail, improving veteran's health care, ensuring military voting, and boosting aviation security.
Kirk was one of over 150 co-sponsors on H.R. 810, the Stem Cell bill, which passed the House in 2005 but never became law.
Kirk is co-chair of the Moderate Republican "Tuesday Group", a coalition of 40 centrist Republican Member of Congress. Kirk is a member of some moderate to liberal Republican groups such as the
Republican Main Street PartnershipThe Republican Main Street Partnership is a group of moderate members of the United States Republican Party. They tend away from the dominant social conservatism of many Republicans and towards fiscal conservatism and limited government. The group is the rough equivalent of the Blue Dog Democrats...
, the
Republican Majority for ChoiceThe Republican Majority for Choice is a Republican organization in the United States dedicated to preserving legal access to abortion. The group also supports federal funding for all kinds of stem cell research, inculding Embryonic stem cell research.....
,
Republicans for ChoiceRepublicans for Choice, an organization based in the Washington, D.C. area is a political action committee composed of members of the United States Republican Party who support legalized abortion.-History of Republicans for Choice:Republicans for Choice was founded in 1989 by Ann Stone...
, the
Republican Leadership CouncilThe Republican Leadership Council , founded in 1993 as the Committee for Responsible Government, is a United States political advocacy group and political action committee that promotes Republican candidates who espouse a platform that the organization characterizes as "fiscally conservative,...
, and Republicans for Environmental Protection.
On November 5, 2005, while speaking at
Northwestern University{{Infobox university|name = Northwestern University|image_name = NU seal.png|motto = Quaecumque sunt vera |mottoeng =Whatsoever things are true |established = 1851|type = Private|calendar = Quarter...
, Kirk was asked how he felt about stricter
visaA visa is an indication that a person is authorized to enter the country which "issued" the visa, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
policies applied to
ArabArab people or Arabs are an ethnic group whose members identify along linguistic, cultural or genealogical grounds...
foreign nationals seeking entry to the United States. Kirk answered: "I'm okay with discrimination against young Arab males from terrorist-producing states. I'm okay with that. I think that when we look at the threat that's out there, young men between, say, the ages of 18 and 25 from a couple of countries, I believe a certain amount of intense scrutiny should be placed on them." He said that the statement was "politically uncomfortable", and later issued a statement to clarify his position on the issue: "We need to strengthen our visa entry process to guard against the threat, and we need intense scrutiny on applicants from terrorist producing countries," Kirk said. "Ignoring that reality would only do a disservice to our country's security."
Kirk has spoken out about protecting children on the Internet and has introduced bills to require parental permission for certain networking sites such as
Second LifeSecond Life is a virtual world developed by Linden Lab that launched on June 23, 2003, and is accessible via the Internet. A free client program called the Second Life Viewer enables its users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
. In 2006, he cosponsored H.R. 4411, the Goodlatte-Leach Internet Gambling Prohibition Act that would ban online
pokerPoker is a sport from the family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bets and how many rounds of betting are allowed...
. and H.R. 4777, the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act.
Kirk has consistently supported increases in "Impact Aid" for government school districts that have children of military personnel as students.
2007
In July 2007, he proposed what he sees as a long term solution to the problem of Mexican immigration: shipping
condomA condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the likelihood of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
s to poor area of Mexico: "A slower rate of growth of Mexico's population would improve the economy of Mexico. It would also reduce the environmental pressure on Mexico's ecosystem. But a slower rate of growth would also reduce the long-term illegal immigration pressure on America's borders"
2008
Kirk was endorsed for reelection by the
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Sun Times, Lake County
News Sun, the Pioneer Press, the Daily Herald and the Jewish Political Alliance of Illinois.
2009
On April 15, Kirk suggested shooting Illinois Governor Pat Quinn for suggesting increasing income taxes as a method of balancing the Illinois state budget.
On a June 18th radio show, Kirk stated that "if we see Obama there's a shoot-on-sight order". The next day, Kirk apologized to President Obama for the statement.
Also in June, Kirk made a trip to China to engage in independent foreign diplomacy without the endorsement of the executive branch, an act that is reserved for executive branch officials. On this trip, Kirk sought to undermine current administration the US-China relationship by stating that "the budget numbers that the US government has put forward should not be believed."
On January 6, Kirk returned to Illinois after completing a
tour of dutyIn the Navy, a tour of duty is a period of time spent performing operational duties at sea, including combat, performing patrol or fleet duties, or assigned to service in a foreign country....
in
KandaharKandahār, also spelled Qandahār, Pashtoکندهار or قندهار is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of 324,800 . It is the capital of Kandahar province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
,
AfghanistanThe Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a landlocked country in south central Asia. It is variously described as being located within Central Asia, South Asia, or the Middle East...
; a press release on his official web site touted the occasion as "the first time a U.S. Representative-reservist has deployed to an imminent danger area since World War II". Kirk appeared on the
Fox News ChannelThe Fox News Channel , commonly referred to as Fox or Fox News, is a major American cable news and satellite channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation. As of April 2009, it is available to 102 million households in the U.S...
for an interview upon returning to the U.S.
Kirk recently held a press conference with Congressman Peter Roskam on critical legislation they introduced to strengthen food safety laws in the wake of tainted food supplies.
On February 13 Kirk offered a resolution on the subject of the trial of the Iranian Bahá'í leadership co-sponsored by seven others in H. RES. 175 - "Condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights" which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The situation has gathered international attention including defense of Nobel Laureate attorney
Shirin EbadiShirin Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer, human rights activist and founder of Centre for the Defence of Human Rights in Iran. On October 10, 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women's, children's, and...
in June after she received threats in April warning her against making speeches abroad, and defending Iran's minority Baha'i community - see Arrest of Bahá'í leaders.
In June 2009 Kirk introduced legislation to increase the penalties for selling kush, a high potency set of strains of marijuana. The High-Potency Marijuana Sentencing Enhancement Act of 2009 (H.R. 2848) increases the penalties for the possession with intent to distribute, manufacture, importation and exportation to maximum fines of $1 million for an individual and $5 million for a group, with a maximum sentence of 25 years from the standard sentencing for marijuana which calls for a maximum fine of $250,000 for an individual, $1 million for a group and up to five years in prison. Kirk said that as kush may sell for up to $600 (USD) per ounce these increases in penalties are justified, saying that "if you can make as much money selling pot as cocaine, you should face the same penalties."
On July 8, 2009 reports spread that Kirk would be seeking Barack Obama's old Senate seat in 2010. The story broke just hours after Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced she would not run.
On July 13, 2009, Kirk's chief rival for the Republican Senate nomination, the state's party chairman Andrew "Andy" McKenna, Jr., issued this statement: "I reassured Mark that if he chooses to be a candidate, I will not oppose him." Kirk's nomination is now effectively uncontested.
On July 20, 2009, Kirk announced his candidacy for Barack Obama's old Senate seat (currently held by Roland Burris). During his announcement while hundreds cheered him on with large banners at his childhood home where he first declared that he was running for Congress, Kirk was heckled by a few protesters who shouted "Health care now!" He responded with, "I can see from the crowd here that the Democratic Party appears to be very worried about me, which is why they're here."
On August 24, 2009, Kirk held two back-to-back town hall meetings in
Arlington HeightsArlington Heights can refer to a place in the United States:Towns or cities*Arlington Heights, Illinois*Arlington Heights, Massachusetts*Arlington Heights, Ohio*Arlington Heights, Pennsylvania*Arlington Heights, WashingtonNeighborhoods...
, Illinois. The first meeting, which generated the most public and media interest, was the most popular because Kirk emailed his supporters in advance and asked them to arrive early to reserve as many seats as possible in the small meeting room. Largely filled with his supporters, the meeting had a mostly friendly crowd. Kirk admitted that some health reform is needed, but he used “old statistics and fuzzy math” to claim that instead of the US having 45.7 million uninsured, as most Americans believe, (likely sourced from the 2007 US Census numbers ) the problem is less serious because he said there are only 7.8 million uninsured. The
Chicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company...
and other news media questioned his statistics, that arrived at biased conclusions and used data from as long ago as 1999.
Contributors
Kirk accepted $1000 from
Tony RezkoAntoin "Tony" Rezko is a political fundraiser, restaurateur, and real estate developer in Chicago, Illinois, convicted on several counts of fraud and bribery in 2008. Rezko has been involved in fundraising for local Illinois Democratic and Republican politicians since the 1980s...
, who has been convicted on federal charges of attempted extortion, money laundering, and fraud.
Mark Kirk received a donation from Congressman
Bob NeyRobert William "Bob" Ney is an American politician from the U.S. state of Ohio. A Republican, Ney represented Ohio's 18th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 until November 3, 2006, when he resigned...
, who pled guilty to bribery. Kirk was called upon to return the tainted money. Kirk refunded the Ney contribution in the 2nd quarter of 2006. {{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}
FEC records show Kirk received financial support from
Americans for a Republican MajorityAmericans for a Republican Majority was a political action committee formed by former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and directed by Karl Gallant. On July 7, 2006 ARMPAC reached an agreement with the Federal Election Commission to pay a fine of $115,000 for various violations and to...
, a PAC formed by
Tom DeLayThomas Dale DeLay in Laredo, Texas is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives who represented Sugar Land, Texas from 1984 until 2006. He was Republican House Majority Leader from 2003–2005, when his legal problems forced him to step down. In 2005, a Texas court charged DeLay with...
.
Campaign for Senate
On July 20, 2009, Kirk announced that he would be running for the senate seat formerly held by President
Barack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office, as well as the first president born in Hawaii...
. This came shortly after Democrats
Roland BurrisRoland Wallace Burris is the junior United States Senator from the state of Illinois and a Democrat. He is the third black U.S. Senator from Illinois, after Carol Moseley Braun and Barack Obama. Burris is currently the only African-American in the U.S...
and
Lisa MadiganLisa Madigan has been the 41st Attorney General of the U.S. state of Illinois since 2003, when she became the first female attorney general for Illinois. She is a Democrat and the daughter of Michael Madigan, who has been Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives for most of the last...
announced that they would not be running.
Other Republican candidates that have officially announced their campaign in 2010 are John Arrington, Donald Lowery,
Andy MartinAnthony Robert Martin-Trigona, usually known as Andy Martin is an American journalist, perennial candidate, and vexatious litigant. The Nation, The Washington Post, and The New York Times have identified him as the primary source of false rumors that US President Barack Obama is secretly a Muslim...
, Dr. Eric Wallace, Robert Zadek, and Ed Varga (McHenry County, Illinois, Board of Health).
Electoral history
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%"
|+ {{ushr|Illinois|10}}: Results 2000–2008
!|Year
!
!|Democrat
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
!|Republican
!|Votes
!|Pct
!
|-
|2000
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |Lauren Beth Gash
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" |115,924
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |49%
|
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |{{nowrap|
Mark Kirk}}
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" |121,582
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |51%
|
|-
|2002
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |{{nowrap|Henry H. Perritt, Jr.}}
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" |58,300
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |31%
|
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |
Mark Kirk
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" |128,611
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |69%
|
|-
|2004
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |Lee Goodman
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" |99,218
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |36%
|
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |
Mark Kirk
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" |177,493
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |64%
|
|-
|2006
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |Daniel J. Seals
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" |94,278
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |47%
|
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |
Mark Kirk
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" |107,929
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |53%
| |
*
|-
|2008
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |Daniel J. Seals
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" |138,176
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |47%
|
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |
Mark Kirk
|{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" |153,082
|{{Party shading/Republican}} |53%
|
|-
| colspan="10" |
{{end box}}
External links
{{CongLinks | congbio = k000360 | fec = H0IL10120 | opensecrets = N00012539 | votesmart = 33502 | ontheissuespath = IL/Mark_Kirk.htm | legistorm = 320/Rep_Mark_Kirk.html | surge = 695 | govtrack = 400222 | findagrave = }}
- Profile from SourceWatch
SourceWatch is an internet site that is a collaborative project of the Center for Media and Democracy . It was created by the CMD's research director, Sheldon Rampton...
CongresspediaCongresspedia was a wiki that ran from April 2006 to March 2009, designed to hold information on the workings of the U.S. Congress. It was fully contained within SourceWatch, a larger wiki meant to document the people, organizations and issues shaping the public agenda. The Congresspedia portion of...
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{{USRepSuccessionBox
| state=Illinois
| district=10
| before=
John Edward PorterJohn Edward Porter is a former United States Representative from Illinois.Porter was born in Evanston, Illinois, was educated in public schools, and then attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology for one year before receiving a B.S. and B.A. from Northwestern University in 1957...
| start=2001
}}
{{end box}}
{{IL-FedRep}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirk, Mark}}