Mark Kirk
Mark Kirk | |
---|---|
![]() | |
United States Senator-elect from Illinois | |
Assuming office November 2010 | |
Succeeding | Roland Burris |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 10th district | |
Assumed office January 3, 2001 | |
Preceded by | John Porter |
Personal details | |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Kimberly Vertolli (2001-2009) (divorced)[1] |
Residence | Highland Park, Illinois[2] |
Alma mater | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Cornell University London School of Economics Georgetown University Law Center |
Occupation | Attorney, Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserves |
Military service | |
Branch/service | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1989-present |
Rank | Commander ![]() |
Unit | U.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]
- Planned Parenthood: 100% (Planned Parenthood [21] lists his opponent Alexi Giannoulias as endorsed for the senate seat in Illinois.)
- US Chamber of Commerce: 90%
- National Education Association: A
- Americans for Democratic Action: 55%
- Military Officers Association of America: 50% in 2010[22]
- AFL-CIO: 47%
- American Conservative Union: 48%
- Club for Growth: 42%
- National Taxpayers Union: C-
- Citizens Against Government Waste: 33%
- John Birch Society: 25%
- Concerned Women for America: 23%
- National Rifle Association: F
Political campaigns
2006 congressional campaign
2008 congressional campaign
2010 Senate campaign
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
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
- ^ Rep. Mark Kirk, wife divorcing. WLS-TV. June 6, 2009.
- ^ "About Mark". U.S. House of Representatives. Archived from the original on July 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
- ^ "Barack Obama, candidate for President, is 'UCC'". United Church of Christ. February 9, 2007. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
- ^ http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-11-03/news/ct-met-senate-timing-20101103_1_republican-mark-kirk-burris-senate-leaders
- ^ "Congressman Mark Kirk's father dies of pulmonary fibrosis". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ "President Bush Promotes Kirk to Navy Commander | Congressman Mark Kirk – 10th District, Illinois". Kirk.house.gov. 2005-05-03. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ Gitlin, Ben. "Mark Kirk '81 Campaigns For Illinois Senate Seat After Winning Primary | The Cornell Daily Sun". Cornellsun.com. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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] - ^ 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.
- ^ http://www.nmia.org/images/2000_NATIONAL_Award_Citations.pdf
- ^ 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.
- ^ Welch, Terry (June 9, 2010). "DoD Under Secretary says Mark Kirk broke the law". San Diego, CA: Terry Welch. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
- ^ "The Bipartisan U.S.-China Working Group | Congressman Mark Kirk – 10th District, Illinois". Kirk.house.gov. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ http://kirk.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=92
- ^ "About Us". Tgpac.com. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ "Committee Members". Appropriations.house.gov. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ "Project Vote Smart - Representative Mark Steven Kirk - Interest Group Ratings". Votesmart.org. 2010-05-14. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ http://www.ontheissues.org/IL/Mark_Kirk.htm
- ^ "Planned Parenthood Action endorsments".
- ^ "MOAA October Magazine Scorecard". moaa.org. 2010-10-05. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
- ^ 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) - ^ Sargent, Greg (September 15, 2009). "GOP Rep Gets Loudly Booed By Right, Performs Creative Flip-Flop". Washington, DC: Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
- ^ Pearson, Rick (June 1, 2010). "U.S. Navy alerted Kirk to questions about his military award". Chicago, IL: Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
- ^ Smith, R. Jeffrey (2010-05-29). "Illinois Senate candidate admits claim about military award was inaccurate". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ Smith, R. Jeffrey (2010-05-30). "Illinois Republican Senate candidate admits to error on Navy award". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
- ^ Smith, R. Jeffrey (May 29, 2010). "Illinois Senate candidate admits claim about military award was inaccurate". Washington, DC: Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
- ^ Pearson, Rick (June 3, 2010). "Kirk apologizes, acknowledges more errors in military resume". Chicago, IL: Chicago Tribune. Retrieved Nov 5, 2010.
- ^ {{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 }
- ^ "Kirk Caught Misstating His Military Record Again". Politicalwire.com. 2010-06-03. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ Pallasch, Abdon (June 4, 2010). "Kirk says he 'misremembered' military record". Chicago, IL: Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Kirk on defensive against Pentagon over politics". Associated Press. June 16, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
- ^ 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).
- ^ Sweet, Lynn (June 18, 2010). "Kirk exaggerates teaching; Duncan helps Giannouliase". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
- ^ "Mark Kirk's Teaching Experience 'Overstated,' Says School Representative". Huffington Post. June 18, 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
- ^ "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
- ^ Sweet, Lynn (2006-05-05). "Kirk: Lawmakers' wife splits for D.C. - Lynn Sweet". Blogs.suntimes.com. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ "In the News - Full Article, In the News, News and Events, School of Law, Northwestern University". Law.northwestern.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ "Bombing of Iraq (December 1998)". Wikipedia
- ^ "Microsoft Word - Kimberly Vertolli-Kirk Bio.doc" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ "Rep. Mark Kirk's Divorce To Be Finalized". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ http://webarchive.loc.gov/lcwa0016/20041022021921/http://www.virginiajohnsonforcongress.com/bio.html
- ^ http://webarchive.loc.gov/lcwa0016/20041022021921/http://www.virginiajohnsonforcongress.com/bio.html
External links
- U.S. Congressman Mark Kirk official U.S. House site
- Kirk for Senate official campaign site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Profile from SourceWatch
- 1959 births
- Living people
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois
- Cornell University alumni
- Georgetown University Law Center alumni
- Alumni of the London School of Economics
- New Trier High School alumni
- United States Navy officers
- United Church of Christ members
- Illinois Republicans