Vulnerable Republican Kirk raises $1M

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), who faces one of the toughest reelection battles in the Senate in 2016, raised more than $1 million in the first quarter, a campaign aide told The Hill.

The Chicago Sun-Times first reported the fundraising haul and notes that Kirk closed out the quarter with a couple of fundraisers in New York, just one day after Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) announced she would challenge the Illinois Republican for his Senate seat.

{mosads}The Kirk aide could not say how much of the $1 million came in the wake of Duckworth’s announcement but said the figure was “robust.”

Duckworth launched her campaign on Monday, potentially setting up one of 2016’s highest-profile Senate battles. Kirk is the only Republican senator up for reelection next year who is running in a deep blue state and is one of the top targets for Democrats in 2016.

The Duckworth campaign did not return an email request for her fundraising numbers, but both candidates are capable fundraisers in what figures to be an expensive battle.

Kirk, who won his first term in the Senate in 2010, ended 2014 with more than $2 million in his campaign fund. Duckworth, who is serving her second term representing a district that covers the northwest suburbs of Chicago, had more than $1 million cash on hand at the end of 2014.

Democrats in the state believe Duckworth possesses some characteristics that could neutralize Kirk’s potential strengths in the race. Both Kirk and Duckworth are military veterans, and both have physical disabilities.

Kirk is still recovering from a massive stroke he suffered in early 2012, while Duckworth lost both her legs in Baghdad in 2004, when the Blackhawk helicopter she was piloting was shot down.

Democrats in Illinois hope to avoid a nasty primary battle and believe Duckworth is a strong enough candidate to clear the field of potential challengers, although that hasn’t happened yet.

While Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) has withdrawn her name from contention, Reps. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) and Bill Foster (D-Ill.) are still mulling bids.

In addition, the Chicago Sun-Times reported on Wednesday that Urban League President and CEO Andrea Zopp is considering running for the Senate and is being pushed to do so by former White House chief of staff William Daley.