Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk said Tuesday that he would not support Donald Trump's presidential campaign — hours after his Democratic challenger slammed the first-term Republican for his silence silent on the presumed nominee's racially tinged remarks on a federal judge.
"I cannot and will not support my party’s nominee for president regardless of the political impact on my candidacy or the Republican Party," Kirk said in a statement,
The Chicago Sun-Times reports.
"It is absolutely essential that we are guided by a commander-in-chief with a responsible and proper temperament, discretion and judgment," Kirk said. "Our president must be fit to command the most powerful military the world has ever seen, including an arsenal of thousands of nuclear weapons.
"After much consideration, I have concluded that Donald Trump has not demonstrated the temperament necessary to assume the greatest office in the world."
Kirk, 56, who was elected in 2009, is facing a tough re-election challenge from
Rep. Tammy Duckworth, who said earlier Tuesday that Kirk's "silence is betrayal" — accusing him of being "complicit" in Trump's campaign of "hate and division," according to The Chicago Tribune.
Kirk's seat is considered among the most vulnerable by Republicans this November. Illinois is a deeply blue state — and Democrats only need five seats to win back the Senate.
While the senator has distanced himself from Trump's remarks, he has said that he would support the eventual nominee.
Kirk had also suggested that Trump could help the Republican Party and that the billionaire needed for him to be re-elected because he would prove to be a great asset.
He also denounced Trump on Twitter:
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