Mark Kirk

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Mark Kirk
Mark Kirk.jpg
U.S. Senate, Illinois
Incumbent
In office
January 3, 2011-Present
Term ends
January 3, 2017
Years in position 2
PartyRepublican
PredecessorRoland W. Burris (D)
Compensation
Base salary$174,000/year
Elections and appointments
First elected2010
Next electionNovember 2016
Campaign $$28,447,411
Term limitsN/A
Prior offices
U.S. House of Representatives
2001-2010
Education
High schoolNew Trier East High School (1977)
Bachelor'sCornell University
Master'sLondon School of Economics
J.D.Georgetown University Law Center
Military service
Service/branchUnited States Navy
Years of service1989-Present
Personal
BirthdaySeptember 15, 1959
Place of birthChampaign, Illinois
ProfessionAttorney, Commander in U.S. Navy Reserve
Net worth$17,501
ReligionUnited Church of Christ [1]
Websites
Office website
Campaign website

Contents

Mark Steven Kirk (b. September 15, 1959) is a Republican member of the U.S. Senate from the state of Illinois. Kirk was elected to the Senate on November 2, 2010, winning a special election to serve the final weeks of President Barack Obama's Senate term, in addition to winning a regular six-year term starting January 3, 2011.[2]

Biography

Born in Champaign, Illinois, he graduated from Cornell University, London School of Economics, and Georgetown University Law Center. He practiced law throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He joined the United States Navy Reserve in 1989 and was recalled to active duty for the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. He participated in Operation Northern Watch in Iraq the following year. He remains a member of the U.S Navy Reserve, now holding the rank of Commander.

Kirk was elected to the House in 2000. During his fifth term in November 2010 he won a special election to finish the final months of former Senator Barack Obama's term and he began a six-year Senate term beginning in 2011.[2]

Career

Committee assignments

U.S. Senate

2013-2014

Kirk serves on the following Senate committees[3]:

2011-2012

Issues

Political Positions

Gay marriage

Kirk became the second Republican Senator to speak out in favor of gay marriage in April 2013.[5] He follows in the footsteps of Rob Portman (R) of Ohio who announced his support of same-sex marriage in March 2013, citing his gay son, Will, as part of the motivation.[5]

In a statement on April 2, 2013 Kirk stated, "“When I climbed the Capitol steps in January, I promised myself that I would return to the Senate with an open mind and greater respect for others. Same-sex couples should have the right to civil marriage. Our time on this earth is limited, I know that better than most. Life comes down to who you love and who loves you back— government has no place in the middle.”[6]

Presidential preference

2012

See also: Endorsements by state officials of presidential candidates in the 2012 election

Mark Kirk endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election. [7]

Specific votes

Fiscal Cliff

Neutral/Abstain Kirk did not cast a vote regarding the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. The bill was passed in the Senate by a 89/8 vote on January 1, 2013.[8]

Expanded background checks on gun sales

Voted "Yes" On April 17, 2013 the U.S. Senate took a vote on and defeated a measure that would have expanded federal background checks for firearms purchases.[9] The vote was 54-46, with supporters falling six votes short of the required 60-vote threshold.[10] Kirk was one of the 4 Republican Senators who voted in favor of the measure.[11]

Elections

2010

On November 2, 2010, Kirk won election to the United States Senate. He defeated Alexander "Alexi" Giannoulias (D), LeAlan M. Jones (G), Mike Labno (L), Robert L. "Bob" Zadek (I), Will Boyd (I), Corey Dabney (I), Susanne Atanus (I), Shon-Tiyon "Santiago" Horton (I), Avner Nager (I), Stan Jagla (I), Darren Raichart (I), and Lowell M. Seida (I) in the general election.[12]

U.S. Senate, Illinois General Election, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark.jpgMark Steve Kirk 48% 1,778,698
     Democratic Alexander "Alexi" Giannoulias 46.4% 1,719,478
     Green LeAlan M. Jones 3.2% 117,914
     Libertarian Mike Labno 2.4% 87,247
     Independent Robert L. "Bob" Zadek 0% 561
     Independent Will Boyd 0% 468
     Independent Corey Dabney 0% 33
     Independent Susanne Atanus 0% 19
     Independent Shon-Tiyon "Santiago" Horton 0% 16
     Independent Avner Nager 0% 15
     Independent Stan Jagla 0% 12
     Independent Darren Raichart 0% 9
     Independent Lowell M. Seida 0% 3
Total Votes 3,704,473

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Kirk is available dating back to 2000. Based on available campaign finance records, Kirk raised a total of $28,447,411 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 3, 2013.[13]

Mark Kirk's Campaign Contribution History
Year Office Result Contributions
2010 U.S. Senate (Illinois) Won $14,305,287
2008 U.S. House (Illinois, District 10) Won $5,451,604
2006 U.S. House (Illinois, District 10) Won $3,168,367
2004 U.S. House (Illinois, District 10) Won $1,747,924
2002 U.S. House (Illinois, District 10) Won $1,705,510
2000 U.S. House (Illinois, District 10) Won $2,068,719
Grand Total Raised $28,447,411

2010

Breakdown of the source of Kirk's campaign funds before the 2010 election.

Kirk won election to the U.S. Senate in 2010. During that election cycle, Kirk's campaign committee raised a total of $14,305,287 and spent $14,079,356 .[14]

Illness

Kirk had a stroke on January 21, 2012, and as a result was unable to work since then. He missed all 189 roll-call votes in the Senate in 2012.[15]

Analysis

Ideology and leadership

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

2013

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Kirk is a "centrist Republican".[16]

National Journal vote ratings

See also: National Journal vote ratings

2011

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Kirk ranked 43rd in the conservative rankings among U.S. Senators.[17]

Voting with party

2011

The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Mark Kirk has voted with the Republican Party 89 of the time, which ranked 29 among the 47 Senate Republican members as of November 2011.[18]

Lifetime missed votes

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, Kirk missed 271 of 626 roll call votes from Nov 2010 to Mar 2013. This amounts to 43.3%, which is worse than the median of 1.7% among currently serving senators as of March 2013.[19]

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

2011

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Kirk paid his congressional staff a total of $2,451,707 in 2011. He ranks 25th on the list of the lowest paid Republican Senatorial Staff Salaries and he ranks 34th overall of the lowest paid Senatorial Staff Salaries in 2011. Overall, Illinois ranks 9th in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.[20]

Net worth

See also: Net Worth of United States Senators and Representatives

2011

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Kirk's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $2,002 and $33,000. That averages to $17,501, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Senators in 2011 of $6,358,668. His average net worth decreased by 80.34% from 2010.[21]

2010

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Kirk's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $33,005 and $145,000. That averages to $89,002.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Senators in 2010 of $7,054,258.[22]

Recent news

This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Mark + Kirk + Illinois + Senate

All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.

Mark Kirk News Feed


Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found


Personal

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.[23]After 8 years of marriage, the two separated, finalizing their divorce in the summer of 2009.[24] Reports have noted that the divorce was an amicable one and the two remain close friends.[25] Mark currently resides in Highland Park, Illinois.[2]

External links

References

  1. ↑ United Church of Christ News "Barack Obama, candidate for President, is UCC" Accessed October 14, 2011
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Mark Kirk--Senator for Illinois "About Mark" Accessed October 14, 2011
  3. ↑ Congressional Quarterly "Senate Committee List" Accessed January 22, 2013
  4. ↑ Mark Kirk--Senator for Illinois "Committee Assignments" Accessed October 14, 2011
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Politico "Mark Kirk endorses gay marriage" Accessed April 2, 2013
  6. ↑ U.S. Senate "Mark Kirk" Accessed April 2, 2013
  7. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Kirk to throw support to Romney," December 19, 2011
  8. ↑ U.S. Senate "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
  9. ↑ NPR "Senate Rejects Expanded Background Checks For Gun Sales" Accessed April 19, 2013
  10. ↑ Fox News "Background check plan defeated in Senate, Obama rips gun bill opponents" Accessed April 19, 2013
  11. ↑ NPR "Historically Speaking, No Surprise In Senate Gun Control Vote" Accessed April 19, 2013
  12. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
  13. ↑ Open Secrets "Mark Kirk" Accessed April 3, 2013
  14. ↑ Open Secrets "Mark Kirk 2010 Election Cycle," Accessed November 7, 2011
  15. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Return uncertain for 2 Illinois members of Congress," September 10, 2012
  16. ↑ Gov Track "Mark Kirk," Accessed May 6, 2013
  17. ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: Senate," February 23, 2012
  18. ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
  19. ↑ GovTrack, "Mark Kirk," Accessed March 29, 2013
  20. ↑ LegiStorm "Mark Kirk"
  21. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Kirk, (R-Ill), 2011"
  22. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Kirk, (R-IL), 2010"
  23. ↑ Chicago Sun Times "Kirk: Lawmakers' wife splits for D.C." Accessed October 14, 2011
  24. ↑ abc7chicago "Rep. Mark Kirk, wife divorcing" Accessed October 14, 2011
  25. ↑ Huffington Post:Chicago "Rep. Mark Kirk's Divorce To Be Finalized" Accessed October 14, 2011
Political offices
Preceded by
Roland Burris 		U.S. Senate-Illinois
2010–present 		Succeeded by
-
v • d • e
Illinois' current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Dick Durbin (D) • Mark Kirk (R)
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