#ilsen

Campaigns releasing internal polling is a normal part of a healthy strategy. Then again, it’s a little odd to do so when you’re an incumbent senator down by three points against your challenger.

Illinois Senator Mark Kirk faces a pretty serious threat in the form of U.S. Representative and Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth, who secured the Democratic nomination for Senate on March 15. His bizarre memo reflects that fact, taking a heavy hand on issues of national security. The memo takes care to point out that 55% of Illinois voters believe a terrorist attack is extremely or very likely (why this is good for Kirk is left unsaid). It also hits Duckworth’s position on welcoming Syrian refugees into the United States, insisting we can’t currently do so safely—which is patently untrue.

The broader GOP seems to agree with the memo’s remarkable assertion that “national security issues are a major vulnerability of Tammy Duckworth’s campaign,” preferring to attack the double-amputee, Purple Heart and Meritorious Service Award recipient as lackluster in her support of veterans. Unfortunately, we’ve seen the conservative playbook of going after someone’s strengths before; it’s all fun and games, until you’re implying that someone who bled for her country doesn’t care about her fellow vets. Your candidate had better be on some pretty solid footing before you launch an attack like that—and even then, you still shouldn’t do it.