Sen. Mark Kirk isn’t up for re-election until 2016, but he is using a rumor that first lady Michelle Obama could be his opponent as a fundraising tactic.
“I’m not one to believe rumors or engage in political gossip, but when it comes to defending the Illinois Senate seat that I’m honored to hold, I take all potential threats seriously,” the Republican wrote in a Sept. 5 fundraising letter, according to the Chicago Sun Times.
Though the first lady has shown no interests in running for elected office, Kirk believes his “press and rumor mills,” that she will.
“The press and rumor mills ponder the ‘will she or won’t she’ question with regard to Michelle Obama … and the circumstances (and denials) are reminiscent of 1999 when First Lady Hillary Clinton was the subject of whirlwind speculation about a run for the United States Senate,” the letter reads, bringing up when former Secretary of State Clinton indeed ran for a New York Senate seat while former President Bill Clinton was still in the White House.
If Michelle Obama ran, she would have to give up most of her final year in the White House to campaign.
