"Seventy-two hours after informing several Republican strategists that he was not running for the Senate in Illinois due to concerns of a primary challenge, Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) looks almost certain to get a clear field after all," the Washington Post reports.
Illinois GOP chairman Andy McKenna (R) "is nearly certain to bow out in favor of Kirk today, according to numerous conversations with strategists close to the process. Kirk had made clear that he would not run if McKenna also ran."