Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

July 10, 2009

Kirk Will Not Run for Illinois Senate Seat

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) will not run for the open seat of Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL) in 2010, the Washington Post reports.

It's a "stunning reversal from just 48 hours ago" when Kirk signaled that he would be a candidate.

Kirk's decision -- "a blow to Senate Republicans' chances in Illinois" -- came in the wake of Burris' formal retirement this afternoon.

Update: Roll Call says Kirk is still mulling the race and that he is trying to avoid a primary with state Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna. Kirk and McKenna are discussing the race over the weekend.

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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