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Mark Kirk: How can I get Sarah Palin to like me?
Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) confirmed Wednesday that he reached out to influential Republican insider Fred Malek and sought his counsel on how to court former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's endorsement for his Senate bid. As first reported by the Washington Post, Kirk sent a memo to Malek seeking advice on how to acquire a "quick and decisive" endorsement from Palin urging Republicans to embrace Kirk as the "lead candidate" in Illinois. Kirk acknowledged the authenticity of the memo to POLITICO. The Republican's campaign said that it has sent materials to Palin, though Kirk spokesman Eric Elk downplayed the significance of the move. "The Kirk campaign provided the governor's team a briefing including talking points on Congressman Kirk and the Illinois Senate Race," Elk said. "The memo was like many others regularly prepared for high-profile visitors, pundits and media. The briefing provided details on the race and only requested supportive comments." Malek, in an email, acknowledged receiving the memo, but said he did not advise Kirk on how to land the former governor's endorsement. Palin spokeswoman Meg Stapleton did not return a request for comment. The endorsement of Palin might serve to insulate the Illinois moderate from criticism on the right that he is not conservative enough. Palin attracted attention recently for offering her imprimatur to Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman in the Nov. 3 New York special election. Palin's endorsement was followed by a flood of other Republican endorsements for Hoffman. Despite Hoffman's loss, Palin applauded the conservative third-party candidate Wednesday on her Facebook page for having the "courage" to run. "The race for New York's 23rd District is not over, just postponed until 2010," Palin wrote. "The real victors in this election are the ordinary men and women who voted for positive change and a return to fiscal sanity. Your voices have been heard." Kirk, a moderate, may also face a third-party challenge from the right, after fellow Republican Eric Wallace made clear in dropping out of contention for the GOP nomination that he may mount a Hoffman-like run. Kirk is also facing opposition on his right flank from several Republican candidates, including Andy Martin, who is best known in state political circles for having filed a lawsuit in Hawaii calling for the release of President Barack Obama's birth certificate. Posted by: Fred 2009-11-05 |
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