Sen. Mark Kirk questioned his opponent’s American heritage during a debate in Illinois on Thursday.
“I’d forgotten that your parents came all the way from Thailand to serve George Washington,” Kirk said after his opponent, Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-III.), brought up her family’s military service during Thursday night’s Senate debate, The Washington Post noted.
Duckworth, who is trying to unseat Kirk in Illinois, discussed her family's military heritage during the debate.
“My family has served this nation in uniform going back to the Revolution,” Duckworth said. “I am a daughter of the American Revolution. I’ve bled for this nation. But I still want to be there in the Senate when the drums of war sound. Because people are quick to sound the drums of war, and I want to be there to say this is what it costs, this is what you’re asking us to do…Families like mine are the ones that bleed first.”
That’s when Kirk quickly offered his rebuttal, appearing to question her heritage.
Duckworth’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee had a problem with Kirk’s remarks, CBS News noted. DSCC spokeswoman Lara Sisselman called his comments “offensive, wrong and racist.”
Duckworth’s mother, Lamai, is Thai, but her late father, Franklin, was a Marine veteran, The Washington Post noted. Tammy Duckworth served in the Iraq War where she lost her legs while serving as a helicopter pilot.
“A struggling political campaign is no excuse for baseless and despicable attacks, and Sen. Kirk owes Congresswoman Duckworth and her family an apology,” Sisselman said, according to The Washington Post.
According to The Hill, this isn’t the first time the GOP senator has been on record making a controversial statement. Last year, during a committee hearing, Kirk joked that GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is not married, is a “bro with no ho.”
He also received criticism earlier this year after comparing President Obama to a “drug dealer in chief” after he made a $400 million payment to Iran, The Hill noted.
Kirk’s comments come as he tries to hold on to his Senate seat in the blue state, where's he’s currently trailing Duckworth in the polls by 7 percentage points.