Republican Senator Mark Kirk from Illinois is taking political heat this morning, even from members of his own party, after eyebrow-raising comments he made last night during a televised debate.
His opponent in the state's Senate race, Democratic congresswoman Tammy Duckworth, was born in Bangkok, Thailand.
An Iraq War veteran and Purple Heart recipient, she grew up in southeast Asia before her family moved to Hawaii. In 2004, she lost both her legs after a combat helicopter she was flying was hit by an RPG in Iraq.
During the debate, Duckworth was talking about her military service as well as a long history of military service in her family. She said, as she has many times on the campaign trail, that her family "has served this nation in uniform going back to the revolution."
"I am a daughter of the American Revolution," she added. "I have bled for this nation."
Kirk replied, "I forgot that your parents came all the way from Thailand to serve George Washington."
Democrats around the country were quick to jump on Kirk’s remarks following the debate, calling them racist and demanding an apology.
Duckworth tweeted a family photo after the debate. Her father’s side of the family, she says, has a long history of serving in the U.S. military.
Kirk has long been thought of as one of the most vulnerable Republican senators seeking re-election and both presidential campaigns blasted him for his remarks. Donald Trump’s campaign manager totally dismissed the Republican.
Earlier this year, Kirk had unendorsed Trump calling him "too bigoted" and "racist" to be president.
This morning, Hillary Clinton’s campaign tweeted to thank Duckworth and her family for their military service and added that it should not be so hard for Kirk to understand.
Kirk campaign spokeswoman Eleni Demertzis issued a statement late Thursday night that, notably, did not include an apology.
"Senator Kirk has consistently called Rep. Duckworth a war hero and honors her family's service to this country. But that's not what this debate was about," Demertzis said. "Rep. Duckworth lied about her legal troubles, was unable to defend her failures at the VA and then falsely attacked Senator Kirk over his record on supporting gay rights."
from ABC News: Politics http://ift.tt/2eDhKjE
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