Just several months ago, Illinois GOP Senate candidate, Rep. Mark Kirk, was flying high — and a solid front runner to win Barack Obama’s Senate seat while Democrat Alexi Giannoulias was being dogged by a family banking scandal.
Giannoulias still has severe problems and high negatives, but Kirk, reeling from reporting about exaggerations and embellishments of his military record and other biographical info, is literally on the run from the media. Its absurd, and his communications team must deal with this immediately to stem the damage.
Crain’s Chicago Business reports today that Kirk “literally ran out the hotel door rather than answer questions.” He “bolted” with the “media in hot pursuit” and jumped into the back seat of a black SUV “which instantly peeled out.”
Kirk now has two big problems: first, not adequately dealing with his embellishment problem (or being able to change the subject by launching a new line of attack on Giannoulias), and, second, appearing ridiculous by fleeing the media.
Kirk is blowing this Senate race, and his actions, and those of his staff, are not inspiring a lot of confidence among GOP campaign watchers. Fortunately, there’s still time to right the ship.