Racist remark mars Illinois Senate debate

THE TIGHT RACE for Illinois Senator is getting a bit nasty as the incumbent, Republican Senator Mark Kirk, apparently inspired by the candidate at the top of his party, made a clearly racist and stupid remark during a debate against Democrat Tammy Duckworth, 

Duckworth, an Iraq war veteran, was talking about why she wants to make the move to the upper house.

“My family has served this nation in uniform going back to the Revolution." said Duckworth. "I’m a daughter of the American Revolution. I’ve bled for this nation. But I still want to be there in the Senate when the drums of war sound, because people are quick to sound the drums of war and I want to be there to say this is what it costs and this is what you’re asking us to do.”

Sen. Kirk, hoping to sound witty, responded, "I forgot that your parents came all the way from Thailand to serve George Washington.”

That remark was met with resounding silence as the debate continued. One of the panelists asked Duckworth if she wanted to respond.

“There’s been members of my family serving in uniform on my father’s side going back to the Revolution,” Duckworth said. “I’m proud of both my father’s side and my mother, who’s an immigrant. She became a citizen in her 50s. And I’m just as proud of that.”

It is her father's family that dates back to the Revolutionary War.

Following the debate, the Kirk campaign issued a statement, but not an apology. "Senator Kirk has consistently called Rep. Duckworth a war hero and honors her family's service to this country," it read.

It was the second of three debates between Duckworth and Kirk. The next debate will be Nov. 4.

The Illinois Senate campaign is one the Democrats think they can unseat the incumbent, who is part of the Paul Ryan wing of the GOP.

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Duckworth wins Democratic primary; eyes Illinois' U.S. Senate seat

Daily Herald

Rep. Tammy Duckworth thanks her supporters after winning the Democratic primary March 15.

AS EXPECTED, in the Illinois primary last night (March 15), U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth won 63% of the vote with the balance split between former Chicago Urban League CEO Andrea Zopp and Napoleon Harris, a state senator and former NFL player in the Illinois primary. 

By winning, the 5-term House member Duckworth becomes the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate. Her victory sets the stage for a heated contest versus the incumbent, Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk.

The already contentious race between Duckworth and Kirk has been going on informally for months. Democrats see Kirk's seat as very vulnerable as a Senate seat they can turn blue by the popular Duckworth, a Thai/American.

If Duckworth wins in November, she could change the balance in the Senate and break the logjam Republicans have put up against Obama proposals and could be a factor in deciding who could be the next Supreme Court justice.

RELATED: GOP removes tasteless tweet vs. double amputee

Last week, the National Republican Senatorial Committee went after Duckworth tweeting that she "didn't stand up for veterans." The GOP quickly removed the tweet after the committee was heavily criticized. Duckworth, who lost both legs during a combat mission in Iraq, fired back with a long list of the bills she sponsored on behalf of veterans.

Prior to the primary, the GOP was already running TV ads against Duckworth.

Both Kirk and Duckworth have made compelling personal stories part of their campaign. Kirk suffered a near-fatal stroke in 2012, but returned to work in Washington a year later following intense rehabilitation. Duckworth, who grew up poor and attended college with help from federal grants, is the first veteran double amputee to serve in Congress.

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For more news about Asian/Americans and Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

Rep. Tammy Duckworth running for U.S. Senate

Rep. Tammy Duckworth at the nation's capitol.

REP. TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D, Ill.)  declared her candidacy for the U.S. Senate last week. She'll be challenging incumbent  Sen. Mark Kirk, a Republican. 

In her video announcing her intentions, she said:

"I'm running for the United States Senate in 2016 because it's time for Washington to be held accountable and to put Illinois' families and communities first," said Duckworth in the video. "I will fight my heart out to represent you with honor and integrity."

Duckworth, a self-described "daughter of a Marine, a wife, a new mom, and a combat veteran," talked about family issues on the video. She mentioned the need for more pre-kindergarten, affordable college loans and tax-cuts for small businesses and the middle-class.

"I believe that together we can build an America that is strong from the ground up," Duckworth said.

Duckworth is the first Asian-American woman elected to Congress in Illinois, the first disabled woman elected to the U.S. House, and the first member of Congress born in Thailand.

My favorite video clip of Duckworth is below when, as a member of the House military overisight committee, she interviewed defense contractor Braulio Castillo whose company was receiving extra preference credit for his alleged "combat injury," which he got while playing football.

Duckworth lost both legs and part of her arm in 2004 when a rocket propelled grenade hit her helicopter while flying combat missions in Iraq so it was no surprise as a genuine combat veteran, she tore into him. I especially like the part when she said, "My feet hurt, too" without blinking an eye or waiting for the drum beat to accentuate her irony.

Raja Krishnamoorthi

A day after Duckworth made her announcement, another Asian American, Raja Krishnamoorthi said he'll run for Duckworth's seat in Congress. 

The former Illinois deputy treasurer made the announcement Tuesday, a day after Duckworth said she would enter the race for Kirk's seat. 

Duckworth defeated Krishnamoorthi in the 2012 Democratic primary for the 8th District northwest suburban Chicago seat in Congress.

The 41-year-old Krishnamoorthi lives in Schaumburg and was raised in Peoria. He is president of Sivananthan Labs and Episolar, Inc. 

Duckworth is the second Asian American woman to run for a Senate seat in 2016. The other candidates is California's Attorney General Kamala Harris, who is running to replace the outgoing Sen. Barbara Boxer. If elected, Harris would be the first Indian American to serve in the Senate.

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