Free Republic

Republican Rep. Mark Kirk of Illinois might not become Sen. Mark Kirk as soon as he would like. State officials told Washington Wire that the five-term Republican, who defeated state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias in the contest for President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat, can’t fill his new post until Nov. 23, a week after the Senate convenes for the lame-duck session. The reason for the gap: Illinois election officials need time to certify the vote.

April 01, 2010 6:34 PM By BENJAMIN YOUNT Illinois Statehouse News SPRINGFIELD - Mark Kirk is adding a dose of realism to his opposition to the recently signed national health care reform. The Chicago-area congressman and GOP candidate for U.S. Senate said he still is opposed to much of the law aimed at overhauling the nation's health care system. But Kirk is backing away from his pledge to lead the fight to repeal the plan. "We lost, and we don't have the votes," Kirk said Thursday in Springfield. "And so now my job is to tell the American people exactly...