Mark Kirk

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U.S. Senator

Mark Kirk

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R-IL

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Positions
Leadership: No leadership position
Committees:
(subcommittees and past assignments)

Candidates for the IL-Senate Class III Seat:
(Next election: 2 November 2010)

Confirmed: None so far
Considering: None so far
Rumored: None so far
Potential: None so far
Dropped-out: None so far
(more info and editing for the IL-Senate Class III Seat)
On the Web
Official website

Mark Steven Kirk is a Republican member of the U.S. Senate representing Illinois since 2010. He previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the 10th District of Illinois, since 2001. Kirk's election in the 2010 general election also counted as a special election and he was seated during the lame-duck session of the 111th Congress.

Contents

Record and controversies

Congressional scorecards

Click through the score to see the records of other members of Congress and full descriptions of the individual votes.

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Organization 2007 Scorecard
Score - Agree ratio 		2008 Scorecard
Score - Agree ratio
American Civil Liberties Union not avail. not avail.
American Conservative Union 40 - 2/5 not avail.
AFSCME not avail. not avail.
Americans for Democratic Action 40 - 8/20 55 - 11/20
Club for Growth not avail. not avail.
Drum Major Institute not avail. not avail.
Family Research Council not avail. not avail.
Information Technology Industry Council not avail. not avail.
League of Conservation Voters not avail. not avail.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People not avail. not avail.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce 84 - 16/20 not avail.


Iraq War

Kirk voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War.[1]

For more information see the chart of U.S. House of Representatives votes on the Iraq War.

Environmental record

For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Terrorist profiling

On November 5, 2005, while speaking at Northwestern University, Kirk stated that he is "O-K with discrimination against young Arab males from terrorist-producing states." Despite calls from American-Muslim groups and other politicians for an apology and retraction, Kirk stood by his statement. He acknowledged the statement was "politically uncomfortable".[1]



Energy

"Environmental groups--Mark Kirk backers in the past--backing Giannoulias in Illinois Senate race" Sun Times. June 8, 2010

This article also discusses how Kirk was dropped in endorsements that Kirk once held from two notable environmental groups. The groups cite Kirk’s commitment to big coal companies as a reason for his lost endorsement. Additioanlly, Kirk flip-flopped on his commitment to passing a cap-and-trade program. He was intially one of eight Republicans to vote for the bill when it passed the House in 2009. However, he has recently stated his opposition to the bill.

Climate

"Kirk's flip-flop on energy" Politico. July 27, 2009

As a member of the House Kirk voted in support of the cap and trade bill to the dismay of Republicans. In an attempt to win back Republican votes for the Senate race this article details how Kirk is supporting energy policies in contrast to the ones he and his constituents of his district held. Kirk recently stated, "I’ve always backed energy independence policies, but I’ve heard from people on this issue like no other. The energy interests of Illinois are far broader and deeper than my North Shore district. The political prospects of this bill are dim in the Senate… I think the bill in its current form is probably dead,”


Technology

Innovation

Health

"Kirk reaffirms opposition to Obama health care law" Sun Times. July 13, 2010

Kirk reaffirmed his opposition to the health care bill passed this spring. He will move forward with his promise to repeal the health care reform bill, an act that would require 218 votes in the House. On the matter, Kirk issued the following statement: "I think that as Republicans and Americans we should be for healthcare reform, but the kind of reforms that I want to back don't weaken the finances of the federal government long-term with new spending. Don't make the kind of Medicare cuts that were mandated in the legislation of which now in other Illinois communities I heard very extensively about and do include a big missing item in the reform, which is lawsuit reform that should have been part of the package originally."


"Kirk's "Flip-Flop-Flip" on Helath Care Repeal" Progress Illinois. July 13, 2010

This article tags Kirk with a reputation of changing his position on controversial policies whenever it is politically beneficial for him. Weeks before the health care bill was passed, Kirk promised to spearhead the efforts to repeal Obama's health care legislation. After criticism from the media, Kirk changed his position to only oppose the Medicare cuts and new taxes. Recently, Kirk has changed his position again after pressure from conservative activists to oppose Obama's reform. He now supports a full repeal of the health care legislation to be replaced by an alternative bill.

STEM education

Research and development (R&D)


"Kirk calls for permanent embryo experimentation funding" Illinois Review. April 8, 2010

This article includes a statement issues by Mark Kirk concerning embryonic research. Kirk affirms that he is a proponent of pluripotent embryonic research and will support legislation making sure this research not barred from receiving federal funds in the future. Kirk see pluripotent stem cell research as a new avenue for finding new treatments and cures for chronic diseases.

Science Policy tracking by Arifeen Rahman, SEA National Security Intern

Bio

Kirk was born on September 15, 1959 in Champaign, Illinois. He attended the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cornell University, received a Masters Degree from the London School of Economics, and a Juris Doctor degree from the Jesuit-run Georgetown University.

He serves as an officer in the United States Naval Reserves and was named Intelligence Officer of the Year in 1999 for his service in Kosovo. Kirk was a lawyer, a staff member for Representative John Edward Porter, a special assistant at the Department of State, and a staff member for the House International Relations Committee before entering the House.

2006 elections

In 2006, the Democrats nominated Dan Seals to face Kirk in his November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) [2] Kirk won 53% to 47%. Kirk and Seals debated only once. A second debate was scheduled but Seals dropped out at the last minute. [3]

Money in politics

This section contains links to – and feeds from – money in politics databases. For specific controversies, see this article's record and controversies section.

Top Contributors to during the 2010 Election Cycle
DonorAmount (US Dollars)
Kirkland & Ellis$ 132,168
Citadel Investment Group$ 112,200
Madison Dearborn Partners$ 93,600
Elliott Management$ 90,750
Medline Industries$ 63,600
NorPAC$ 61,914
Kasowitz, Benson et al$ 57,500
JPMorgan Chase & Co$ 49,225
Baxter International$ 48,150
SEI Corp$ 46,800
Source: The Center for Responsive Politics' www.OpenSecrets.org site.
Note: Contributions are not from the organizations themselves, but are rather from
the organization's PAC, employees or owners. Totals include subsidiaries and affiliates.
Links to more campaign contribution information for Mark Kirk
from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org site.
Fundraising profile: 2008 election cycle Career totals
Top contributors by organization/corporation: 2008 election cycle Career totals
Top contributors by industry: 2008 election cycle Career totals

Committees and Affiliations

Committees

Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

  • House Committee on Appropriations
    • Subcommittee on Foreign Operations Export Financing and Related Programs
    • Subcommittee on Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies
    • Subcommittee on Science State Justice and Commerce and Related Agencies

Coalitions and Caucuses

Affiliations

More Background Data

Wikipedia also has an article on Mark Kirk. This article may use content from the Wikipedia article under the terms of the GFDL.

Contact

DC office
  • 524 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
    Ph: 202-224-2854 Fax: 202-226-2269
    Webform email
District offices
  • 102 Wilmot Road, Suite 200, Deerfield, IL 60015
    Ph: 847-940-0202 Fax: (none entered)
  • 20 South Martin Luther King Drive, Waukegan, IL 60085
    Ph: 847-662-0101 Fax: (none entered)
On the Web
Campaign office
  • No campaign website entered.
  • No campaign webform email entered.
  • P.O. Box 8, Winnetka, IL 60093
    Ph: (none entered) Fax: (none entered)

Articles and Resources

Resources

Articles

Local blogs and discussion sites



Semantic data (Edit data)

Retrieved from "http://www.opencongress.org/wiki/Mark_Kirk"
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