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| Kirk’s Retort About Duckworth’s Race at Senate Debate Draws Criticism | Kirk’s Retort About Duckworth’s Race at Senate Debate Draws Criticism |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| An embattled first-term United States senator, Mark S. Kirk of Illinois, faced sharp criticism after seeming to mock his Democratic challenger’s ethnicity and her family’s history of military service at a debate on Thursday night. | An embattled first-term United States senator, Mark S. Kirk of Illinois, faced sharp criticism after seeming to mock his Democratic challenger’s ethnicity and her family’s history of military service at a debate on Thursday night. |
| Hillary Clinton and other Democrats on Friday condemned Mr. Kirk, a Republican, and urged him to apologize to his opponent, Representative Tammy Duckworth, a veteran who lost both her legs in the Iraq war, after his retort at the debate in Springfield, Ill. A little after noon on Friday, he tweeted his “sincere apologies” to Ms. Duckworth. | Hillary Clinton and other Democrats on Friday condemned Mr. Kirk, a Republican, and urged him to apologize to his opponent, Representative Tammy Duckworth, a veteran who lost both her legs in the Iraq war, after his retort at the debate in Springfield, Ill. A little after noon on Friday, he tweeted his “sincere apologies” to Ms. Duckworth. |
| The moment came after Ms. Duckworth spoke about the human costs of war. “My family has served this nation in uniform, going back to the Revolution. I’m a daughter of the American Revolution. I’ve bled for this nation,” she said. | The moment came after Ms. Duckworth spoke about the human costs of war. “My family has served this nation in uniform, going back to the Revolution. I’m a daughter of the American Revolution. I’ve bled for this nation,” she said. |
| “But I still want to be there in the Senate when the drums of war sound,” she added. “Families like mine are the ones that bleed first. But let’s make sure the American people understand what we are engaging in, and let’s hold our allies accountable, because we can’t do it all.” | “But I still want to be there in the Senate when the drums of war sound,” she added. “Families like mine are the ones that bleed first. But let’s make sure the American people understand what we are engaging in, and let’s hold our allies accountable, because we can’t do it all.” |
| The moderator then turned to Mr. Kirk for a response. “I had forgotten that your parents came all the way from Thailand to serve George Washington,” he said. | The moderator then turned to Mr. Kirk for a response. “I had forgotten that your parents came all the way from Thailand to serve George Washington,” he said. |
| When the exchange was broadcast and widely reported, critics accused Mr. Kirk of being disrespectful to his challenger. | When the exchange was broadcast and widely reported, critics accused Mr. Kirk of being disrespectful to his challenger. |
| Ms. Duckworth, who was seriously injured when her Black Hawk helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in 2004, was born in Bangkok to a Thai mother of Chinese descent. She grew up mostly in Southeast Asia, where her father, a Vietnam War veteran, worked for the United Nations and international companies. She has often told voters that members of her family have served in the United States military dating back to the nation’s birth. Her husband, Bryan W. Bowlsbey, also served in the Iraq war. | Ms. Duckworth, who was seriously injured when her Black Hawk helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in 2004, was born in Bangkok to a Thai mother of Chinese descent. She grew up mostly in Southeast Asia, where her father, a Vietnam War veteran, worked for the United Nations and international companies. She has often told voters that members of her family have served in the United States military dating back to the nation’s birth. Her husband, Bryan W. Bowlsbey, also served in the Iraq war. |
| Mr. Kirk, 57, a former Naval reservist who won election to the Senate in 2010, was already facing a tough campaign. In January 2012, he suffered a stroke that sidelined him for a year of surgery and rehabilitation. He uses a cane and sometimes a wheelchair, as he did at the Thursday night debate. | Mr. Kirk, 57, a former Naval reservist who won election to the Senate in 2010, was already facing a tough campaign. In January 2012, he suffered a stroke that sidelined him for a year of surgery and rehabilitation. He uses a cane and sometimes a wheelchair, as he did at the Thursday night debate. |
| After the debate, Eleni Demertzis, a spokeswoman for the Kirk campaign, put out a statement that fell short of an apology. “Senator Kirk has consistently called Rep. Duckworth a war hero and honors her family’s service to this country,” she said. “But that’s not what this debate was about. Rep. Duckworth lied about her legal troubles, was unable to defend her failures at the V.A. and then falsely attacked Senator Kirk over his record on supporting gay rights.” | After the debate, Eleni Demertzis, a spokeswoman for the Kirk campaign, put out a statement that fell short of an apology. “Senator Kirk has consistently called Rep. Duckworth a war hero and honors her family’s service to this country,” she said. “But that’s not what this debate was about. Rep. Duckworth lied about her legal troubles, was unable to defend her failures at the V.A. and then falsely attacked Senator Kirk over his record on supporting gay rights.” |
| Democrats condemned the comments. | Democrats condemned the comments. |
| Lara Sisselman, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said in a statement emailed on Friday morning that his comment “was offensive, wrong, and racist. Senator Kirk has been caught lying about his military record over 10 times, but he was quick to launch false attacks questioning Congresswoman Duckworth’s family’s long history of serving our country.” | Lara Sisselman, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said in a statement emailed on Friday morning that his comment “was offensive, wrong, and racist. Senator Kirk has been caught lying about his military record over 10 times, but he was quick to launch false attacks questioning Congresswoman Duckworth’s family’s long history of serving our country.” |
| Mrs. Clinton weighed in on Twitter on Friday morning. | Mrs. Clinton weighed in on Twitter on Friday morning. |
| An apology sent from Mr. Kirk’s campaign was posted on Twitter around noon on Friday. | |
| Democrats believe they are within striking distance of winning control of the Senate this year. Mr. Kirk is among at least a half-dozen Republican incumbents in the Senate who have tried to put distance between themselves and Donald J. Trump. He even attacked the Republican nominee in a television ad. | |
| On Thursday night, it was the Trump campaign’s turn to be distant. Mr. Trump’s campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, wrote on Twitter: “The same Mark Kirk that unendorsed his party’s presidential nominee and called him out in paid ads? Gotcha. Good luck.” | On Thursday night, it was the Trump campaign’s turn to be distant. Mr. Trump’s campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, wrote on Twitter: “The same Mark Kirk that unendorsed his party’s presidential nominee and called him out in paid ads? Gotcha. Good luck.” |