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Duckworth Wins Senate Seat

Congressman Tammy Duckworth (L) and Senator Mark Kirk (R)
Flickr/Creative Commons
Congressman Tammy Duckworth (L) and Senator Mark Kirk (R)

U.S. Representative Tammy Duckworth has won a Senate seat in Illinois.

In defeating Republican Mark Kirk, Duckworth extended grace and bi-partisanship to her opponent saying he has served the country well.

"I pledge to start with the presumption that my colleagues, regardless of party, love this country as much as I do, and that we all want what's best for our children," said Duckworth.

For his part, Kirk was equally gracious, promising to get together with Duckworth soon in a so-called beer summit to put the hard campaign away.

"Opponents can peacefully bury the hatchet after a tough election, and that what unites us as Americans is much stronger than what divides us," said Kirk.

Duckworth, a double amputee who lost both legs in the Iraq war, has served two terms in the House.  

Kirk, who suffered a stroke in 2012, was considered one of the Senate's most vulnerable Republicans and was targeted early by Democrats seeking to retake control of the chamber.  
 
Kirk worked for months to convince voters that he's independent of his party by criticizing GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. But Kirk hurt his own campaign with a series of controversial statements. He had to apologize to Duckworth last month after mocking her immigrant background and her family's military history.  
     
Duckworth, 48, will be the second Illinois woman to serve in the Senate.

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