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Mark Kirk

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 63.240.104.100 (talk) at 15:24, 5 November 2010 (Kirk won a special election to finish the 2004-2010 term, and will be sworn in before 3 Jan 2011). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For the American art director, see Mark-Lee Kirk.
Mark Kirk
United States Senator-elect
from Illinois
Assuming office
November 2010
SucceedingRoland Burris
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 10th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2001
Preceded byJohn Porter
Personal details
Political partyRepublican
SpouseKimberly Vertolli (2001-2009) (divorced)[1]
ResidenceHighland Park, Illinois[2]
Alma materUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Cornell University
London School of Economics
Georgetown University Law Center
OccupationAttorney, Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserves
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
Years of service1989-present
RankCommander Insignia of Commander, United States Navy
UnitU.S. Navy Reserves

Mark Steven Kirk (born September 15, 1959) is the Republican junior United States Senator-elect from Illinois and, until he assumes that office, a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the Illinois's 10th congressional district. On November 2, 2010, Kirk also won a special election to finish the remainder of Senator Roland Burris' term. Though a date has not yet been set, pending certification of election results and the Senate settling its calendar, Kirk could be sworn in as early as the end of November.[4]

Early life and education

Mark Kirk was born in Champaign, Illinois to Judith Reeve and Francis Gabriel Kirk.[5][6] After graduating from New Trier East High School in 1977, he attended the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and then Cornell University, where he graduated cum laude with a B.A. in History.[7] Kirk later obtained a masters degree from the London School of Economics and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Georgetown University Law Center.[8][9]

Military service

Kirk was commissioned as an intelligence officer in the Naval Reserve in 1989.[9]

In 1999 Kirk was recalled to active duty in Operation Allied Force for bombing Yugoslavia. He served from to April 10 to June 6, 1999 as the intelligence officer of VAQ-209.[10] VAQ-209 was combined with three other EA-6B squadrons to form an ad hoc unit called Electronic Attack Wing Aviano, Italy. VAQ-140 had tactical command of the combined unit.[11] In May, 2000, the National Military Intelligence Association bestowed the organization's Vice Admiral Rufus L. Taylor Award to Intelligence Division Electronic Attack Wing Aviano, Italy.[12]

In March and April, 2000 Kirk trained with an EC-130 squadron based in Turkey. Kirk took a flight over Iraq as part of Operation Northern Watch, which enforced a no fly zone over the northern section of Iraq.[13]

Kirk has twice been on two-week stints of training Afghanistan, December 15, 2008 through January 2, 2009 and December 19, 2009 through January 4, 2010[13] Before the December, 2009 training Undersecretary of Defense Gail H. McGinn noted in a memo that Kirk had on two previous active duty periods engaged in politicking allegedly in violation of Department of Defense regulations. McGinn required that prior to training in Afghanistan he had to sign a statement that he would comply with regulations prohibiting politicking on duty.[14]

During his military career, Kirk has been awarded the following medals: the Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, National Service Defense Medal, Joint Unit Achievement Medal. He continues to be on reserve and holds the rank of Commander.[9]

Early career

Kirk worked on the staff of John Porter, the former holder of Illinois’s 10th congressional district. From 1991-1993, Kirk was the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State in the U.S. State Department. Kirk was an attorney for Baker & McKenzie from 1993-1995. In 1995, Kirk was named as a counsel to the House International Relations Committee. He remained counsel to the House International Relations Committee until 1999.[9]

U.S. House of Representatives

Kirk is a member of the House Iran Working Group, the founder and co-chair of the House U.S.-China Working Group,[15] the co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues,[9], the co-chair of the Albanian Issues Caucus in ex Yugoslavia,[16] and a member of the GOP Tuesday Group.[17] He is also a member of the House Appropriations Committee.[18]

Committee assignments

Source: Appropriations subcommittees

Interest group ratings

According to vote-smart.org, in May 2010, these are some of Rep. Kirk's interest group alignments, usually based on percentage of votes aligned with each group's views:[19][20]

Political campaigns

2006 congressional campaign

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2006 § Illinois's 10th congressional district

2008 congressional campaign

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2008 § District 10

2010 Senate campaign

Main article: United States Senate election in Illinois, 2010

On July 20, 2009, Kirk announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat held by Roland Burris, which had been held by Barack Obama before his election as president. On February 2, 2010, Kirk won the Republican primary with 56.6 percent of the vote; no other candidate had as much as 20 percent[23] He is running against Democratic nominee Alexi Giannoulias, Green Party nominee LeAlan Jones, and Libertarian nominee Mike Labno. Kirk (R) defeated Alexi Giannoulias (D) in the IL U.S. Senate in 2010 in wich Kirk and Giannoulias were in a hotly contested debate Kirk 48% and Giannoulias 46% Kirk changed his position on Cap and Trade legislation during the campaign saying he voted for it "because it was in the narrow interests of my Congressional district," but that as a representative of the entire state of Illinois, "I will vote No on that bill.”[24]

Controversies

Intelligence Officer of the Year

Kirk corrected claims he had made about being awarded "Navy Intelligence Officer of the Year" after it was brought to the media's attention by his Democratic opponent, Alexi Giannoulias.[25] He had said in a 2002 House committee hearing recorded by C-Span, Kirk said, "I was the Navy's Intelligence Officer of the Year," an achievement he said gave him special qualifications to discuss national security spending.[26] However, in May 2010, the Washington Post reported that Kirk's claim to having been named the Navy's “Intelligence Officer of the Year” was erroneous.[27] The National Military Intelligence Association gave the Vice Admiral Rufus L. Taylor Award to the entire Intelligence Division Electronic Attack Wing at Aviano.[28] Kirk was the lead intelligence officer for VAQ-209, one of the four squadrons assigned to the Electronic Attack Wing. VAQ-140 had tactical command.[11] Kirk later apologized this and other errors, including claims of having been fired upon during an aerial reconnaissance mission in Iraq, about which there is no official record, and of having participated in Operation Desert Storm when in fact he did not.[29]

On June 7, 2010, Medal of Honor recipient and advocate of Veteran's benefits, Allen Lynch, deemed Mark Kirk's apologies adequate, and and further commented. “To me, in my opinion, it's just a bunch of nit picking. Plus, he's done a christ ton for veterans. So I think this is being blown way out of proportion".[30]

Being under fire

Controversy regarding Kirk's military record continued as other statements surfaced, such as Kirk stating “the last time I was in Iraq I was in uniform, flying at 20,000 feet, and the Iraqi Air Defense network was shooting at us.” Kirk has since clarified his previous statements, admitting that he was never fired on as he flew over Iraq or Kosovo.[31] “I simply misremembered it wrong,” he told The Chicago Sun-Times, referring to his military record.[32]

Military politicking

On December 18, 2009, Undersecretary of Defense Gail H. McGinn noted in a memo that Kirk had on two previous active duty periods engaged in politicking allegedly in violation of Department of Defense regulations; on one occasion Congressman Kirk commented on Rod Blagojevich's arrest and posted a tweet while on duty with the Navy in Afghanistan.[33] According to the Pentagon, Kirk was required to sign a statement acknowledging he knew the rules and wouldn't break them again.[34]

Educational Controversy

While Kirk was an undergraduate student at Cornell University he held a work study job supervising a play group at the Forest Home Chapel nursery school and after getting his masters degree Kirk taught for one year at a private school in London.[35][36] He later stated in speeches and interviews that he had been nursery and a middle school teacher. For example, Kirk claimed in a speech to the Illinois Education Association, "As a former nursery school and middle school teacher, I know some of what it takes to bring order to class." However, a member of the Forest Home Chapel said, "He was never, ever considered a teacher [at the nursery school]."[35]

In discussing problems in in the educational system early in his congressional career, Kirk addressed the brevity of his teaching career: “I did leave the teaching profession, but if we had addressed some of the teacher development issues, which I want to raise with you, I might have stayed.”[35][37]

Electoral history

Illinois's 10th congressional district: Results 2000–2008[38]
Year Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct
2000 Lauren Beth Gash 115,924 49% Mark Kirk 121,582 51%
2002 Henry H. Perritt, Jr. 58,300 31% Mark Kirk 128,611 69%
2004 Lee Goodman 99,218 36% Mark Kirk 177,493 64%
2006 Daniel J. Seals 94,278 47% Mark Kirk 107,929 53% *
2008 Daniel J. Seals 138,176 47% Mark Kirk 153,082 53%
*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 2006, write-ins received 1 votes.

Personal life

In February 1998, Kirk met his future wife, Kimberly Vertolli, a Naval Intelligence Officer, by chance, while the two were on duty together at the Pentagon.[39] “It was supposed to be my weekend off ... but Saddam had just thrown out the weapons inspectors and we were preparing for a strike on Baghdad,” Vertolli said, according to Capitol File Magazine.[40] In fact, the U.N. inspectors were not expelled, but withdrew voluntarily after warnings of the U.S. and U.K. air strikes carried out December 16–19, 1998.[41] The two married in August 2001.[42] After 8 years of marriage, the two separated, finalizing their divorce in the summer of 2009. Reports have noted that the divorce was an amicable one and the two remain close friends.[43]

Kirk was also engaged to Virginia Hurt Johnson, whom he met while both were practicing law in Washington, DC, in 1994.[44] Johnson was the Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 13th Congressional District of North Carolina in 2004, was Counsel to the House Armed Services Committee and was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for House Legislative Affairs under Secretaries Rumsfeld and Gates.[45]

References

  1. ^ Rep. Mark Kirk, wife divorcing. WLS-TV. June 6, 2009.
  2. ^ "About Mark". U.S. House of Representatives. Archived from the original on July 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
  3. ^ "Barack Obama, candidate for President, is 'UCC'". United Church of Christ. February 9, 2007. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
  4. ^ http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-11-03/news/ct-met-senate-timing-20101103_1_republican-mark-kirk-burris-senate-leaders
  5. ^ "Congressman Mark Kirk's father dies of pulmonary fibrosis". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  6. ^ "President Bush Promotes Kirk to Navy Commander | Congressman Mark Kirk – 10th District, Illinois". Kirk.house.gov. 2005-05-03. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  7. ^ Gitlin, Ben. "Mark Kirk '81 Campaigns For Illinois Senate Seat After Winning Primary | The Cornell Daily Sun". Cornellsun.com. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  8. ^ "Profile: Mark Kirk trying to expand base well beyond North Shore - Page 2 - Chicago Tribune". Articles.chicagotribune.com. 2010-01-10. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  9. ^ a b c d e "CBS 2 Voter Guide: Mark Kirk". CBS2Chicago.com. Retrieved June 22, 2010. {{cite web}}: Text "date-January 1 2010" ignored (help) [dead link]
  10. ^ Gill, Ellen Beth (May 29, 2010). "Let's Take A Look At Kirk's Award With A Former Navy Officer". Deerfield, IL: Ellen Beth Gill. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
  11. ^ a b "Electronic Attack Squadron". Vaq140.ahf.nmci.navy.mil. 1985-10-01. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  12. ^ http://www.nmia.org/images/2000_NATIONAL_Award_Citations.pdf
  13. ^ a b Sweet, Lynn (June 3, 2010). "More Mark Kirk military embellishments surface, including in Senate ad, on House floor". Chicago, IL: Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
  14. ^ Welch, Terry (June 9, 2010). "DoD Under Secretary says Mark Kirk broke the law". San Diego, CA: Terry Welch. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
  15. ^ "The Bipartisan U.S.-China Working Group | Congressman Mark Kirk – 10th District, Illinois". Kirk.house.gov. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  16. ^ http://kirk.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=92
  17. ^ "About Us". Tgpac.com. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  18. ^ "Committee Members". Appropriations.house.gov. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  19. ^ "Project Vote Smart - Representative Mark Steven Kirk - Interest Group Ratings". Votesmart.org. 2010-05-14. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  20. ^ http://www.ontheissues.org/IL/Mark_Kirk.htm
  21. ^ "Planned Parenthood Action endorsments".
  22. ^ "MOAA October Magazine Scorecard". moaa.org. 2010-10-05. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
  23. ^ By ALEXANDER BURNS. "Morning Score: Land of Lincoln - Alexander Burns". Politico.Com. Retrieved 2010-07-28. {{cite web}}: Text "2/26/10 8:11 AM EDT" ignored (help)
  24. ^ Sargent, Greg (September 15, 2009). "GOP Rep Gets Loudly Booed By Right, Performs Creative Flip-Flop". Washington, DC: Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  25. ^ Pearson, Rick (June 1, 2010). "U.S. Navy alerted Kirk to questions about his military award". Chicago, IL: Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  26. ^ Smith, R. Jeffrey (2010-05-29). "Illinois Senate candidate admits claim about military award was inaccurate". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  27. ^ Smith, R. Jeffrey (2010-05-30). "Illinois Republican Senate candidate admits to error on Navy award". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
  28. ^ Smith, R. Jeffrey (May 29, 2010). "Illinois Senate candidate admits claim about military award was inaccurate". Washington, DC: Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  29. ^ Pearson, Rick (June 3, 2010). "Kirk apologizes, acknowledges more errors in military resume". Chicago, IL: Chicago Tribune. Retrieved Nov 5, 2010.
  30. ^ {{Cite news |url = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJoH54JyMTo&playnext_from=TL&videos=bSxmd_CfeO4&feature=sub |title = Medal of Honor Allen Lynch on Mark Kirk's Military Record }
  31. ^ "Kirk Caught Misstating His Military Record Again". Politicalwire.com. 2010-06-03. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  32. ^ Pallasch, Abdon (June 4, 2010). "Kirk says he 'misremembered' military record". Chicago, IL: Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
  33. ^ [1][dead link]
  34. ^ "Kirk on defensive against Pentagon over politics". Associated Press. June 16, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  35. ^ a b c Zeleny, Jeff (June 18, 2010). "School Officials Say Candidate Overstated His Role". New York Times. Retrieved June 21, 2010. Cite error: The named reference "New York Times" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  36. ^ Sweet, Lynn (June 18, 2010). "Kirk exaggerates teaching; Duncan helps Giannouliase". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
  37. ^ "Mark Kirk's Teaching Experience 'Overstated,' Says School Representative". Huffington Post. June 18, 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  38. ^ "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  39. ^ Sweet, Lynn (2006-05-05). "Kirk: Lawmakers' wife splits for D.C. - Lynn Sweet". Blogs.suntimes.com. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  40. ^ "In the News - Full Article, In the News, News and Events, School of Law, Northwestern University". Law.northwestern.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  41. ^ "Bombing of Iraq (December 1998)". Wikipedia
  42. ^ "Microsoft Word - Kimberly Vertolli-Kirk Bio.doc" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  43. ^ "Rep. Mark Kirk's Divorce To Be Finalized". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  44. ^ http://webarchive.loc.gov/lcwa0016/20041022021921/http://www.virginiajohnsonforcongress.com/bio.html
  45. ^ http://webarchive.loc.gov/lcwa0016/20041022021921/http://www.virginiajohnsonforcongress.com/bio.html
U.S. Senate
Preceded by United States Senator-elect (Class 3) from Illinois
January 3, 2011-present
Served alongside: Dick Durbin 		Incumbent
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 10th congressional district
2001–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by
Jack Ryan
(withdrew)
Alan Keyes
(general election)
 Republican Party nominee for United States Senator from Illinois
(Class 3)
2010 		Succeeded by
Current nominee

Template:Persondata

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