Democrat Tammy Duckworth defeats GOP Sen. Mark Kirk in Illinois

Democrats have just won their first official Senate pickup of the night, with Rep. Tammy Duckworth easily defeating incumbent Republican Sen. Mark Kirk in Illinois.
The race was called by various media outlets as soon as the polls closed, based on the preliminary exit poll suggesting that Duckworth could potentially take 58 percent of the vote.
Duckworth is an Iraq War veteran, who lost both of her legs when the helicopter she was piloting was shot down by an insurgent rocket.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Kirk, who is considered to be a socially moderate Republican, was narrowly elected in the 2010 midterm Republican wave, picking up the Senate seat formerly held by President Obama. He was widely viewed as the underdog this year, with this race seen as the single most obvious potential gain for Democrats.
Kirk made headlines in the final weeks of the campaign, however, when he lobbed a racially-charged attack at Duckworth during a debate. Duckworth, who was born in Thailand to an ethnic Chinese mother and a white American father, stated that she was a "Daughter of the American Revolution," with her family having served in the U.S. military for wars throughout history. Kirk then responded: "I had forgotten your parents came all the way from Thailand to serve George Washington."
Duckworth then responded: "There's been members of my family serving on my father's side since the American Revolution… I'm proud of both my father's side and my mother, who's an immigrant."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions
The Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
Cracks appear in MAGA's pro-Israel front
IN THE SPOTLIGHT As the world watches a humanitarian crisis unfold across Gaza, some of Israel's most staunchly conservative defenders have begun speaking out against its actions in the occupied territories
-
5 cultural trails to traverse by car
The Week Recommends Leave the hiking shoes at home
-
Trump revives K-12 Presidential Fitness Test
Speed Read The Obama administration phased the test out in 2012, replacing it with a program focused on overall health rather than standardized benchmarks
-
El Salvador scraps term limits, boosting Nayib Bukele
Speed Read New constitutional changes will allow presidents to seek reelection an indefinite number of times
-
Trump assigns tariffs, delays all except on Canada
Speed Read A 35% tariff on many Canadian goods has gone into effect
-
Harris rules out run for California governor
Speed Read The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee ended months of speculation about her plans for the contest
-
Trump sets new tariff rates as deadline nears
Speed Read New tariff rates for South Korea, Brazil and India announced
-
Ghislaine Maxwell: angling for a Trump pardon
Talking Point Convicted sex trafficker's testimony could shed new light on president's links to Jeffrey Epstein
-
Senate confirms Trump loyalist Bove to top court
Speed Read The president's former criminal defense lawyer was narrowly approved to earn a lifetime seat
-
Ghislaine Maxwell offers testimony for immunity
Speed Read The convicted sex trafficker offered to testify to Congress about her relationship with late boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein