Illinois Senator Mark Kirk is considered the most vulnerable Republican incumbent up for re-election in 2016. He eked out a win during the 2010 midterms with only 48% of the vote against a weak opponent. Now he's up in a presidential year where Democratic turnout will be much higher in the blue state.
To complicate matters, he's still recovering from a 2012 stroke. As Politico reported, "Kirk is frequently tired. He takes periodic naps on a couch in his office. His physical stamina is bound to be put to the test during a long, high-stakes campaign."
In "Courage," Kirk speaks clearly and crisply, describing his ambulance ride, thinking he was going to die. We see him on the complex apparatus he used to learn to walk again. "I forced myself to climb up steps every day," he recalls, "even up our tallest building." Then we see him do just that.
Kirk is careful not to make the ad all about him, or to feed concerns he's not up to the job: "As I learned to walk and climb again, I thought of our Illinois families struggling to get by... they're the reason why I fought so hard to get back... I climbed the [Capitol] steps for everyone facing their own challenges."
But while the ad is certainly uplifting, Roll Call's Nathan Gonzales cautions that it doesn't mean it's going to move voters, especially because the ad is airing so early.
"It will be difficult to move enough voters (out of at least 5 million likely to come out next fall), in a large state, a year and a half before the election to stave off Kirk’s vulnerability,” Gonzales said. He goes on to note that early ads from incumbents are often "a sign of significant electoral weakness."
Furthermore, he will likely face a Democratic opponent with her own emotionally potent story of recovery: military veteran Tammy Duckworth who lost both legs after being shot down from her helicopter in the Iraq War.
The biggest contrast in the potential matchup is not the candidates' physical setbacks, but their ideology and positions on issues. That battle has yet to begin.
To complicate matters, he's still recovering from a 2012 stroke. As Politico reported, "Kirk is frequently tired. He takes periodic naps on a couch in his office. His physical stamina is bound to be put to the test during a long, high-stakes campaign."
Sen. Mark Kirk Turns His Stroke Into An Asset
Kirk and his political consultants are choosing to treat his recovery as a campaign asset. His first political ad is a stunning depiction of what he's done to literally get back on his feet.In "Courage," Kirk speaks clearly and crisply, describing his ambulance ride, thinking he was going to die. We see him on the complex apparatus he used to learn to walk again. "I forced myself to climb up steps every day," he recalls, "even up our tallest building." Then we see him do just that.
Kirk is careful not to make the ad all about him, or to feed concerns he's not up to the job: "As I learned to walk and climb again, I thought of our Illinois families struggling to get by... they're the reason why I fought so hard to get back... I climbed the [Capitol] steps for everyone facing their own challenges."
But Tammy Duckworth Has a Story of Recovery Too
But while the ad is certainly uplifting, Roll Call's Nathan Gonzales cautions that it doesn't mean it's going to move voters, especially because the ad is airing so early.
"It will be difficult to move enough voters (out of at least 5 million likely to come out next fall), in a large state, a year and a half before the election to stave off Kirk’s vulnerability,” Gonzales said. He goes on to note that early ads from incumbents are often "a sign of significant electoral weakness."
Furthermore, he will likely face a Democratic opponent with her own emotionally potent story of recovery: military veteran Tammy Duckworth who lost both legs after being shot down from her helicopter in the Iraq War.
The biggest contrast in the potential matchup is not the candidates' physical setbacks, but their ideology and positions on issues. That battle has yet to begin.