Republican primary frontrunner for Senate Mark Kirk today denied rumors advanced in political attack ads that he was a homosexual.
Speaking at the Union League Club concerning his recently completed Naval Reserve duty in Afghanistan, Kirk said simply: "No, it's not true."
To which he added that he's getting tremendous support from his constituents concerning the issue.
Kirk's sexuality has been a topic of political conversation since primary challenger Andy Martin suggested Kirk was gay in a radio ad last week.
Martin, a fringe candidate who pushes the idea that President Obama is a Muslim and is known for suing the state of Hawaii to produce a ribbon copy of Obama’s birth certificate, has a history of salacious allegations and frivolous lawsuits.
His advertisement asserts that there’s “solid rumor that Mark Kirk is a homosexual” and that he’s part of the "Republican Party homosexual club."
During Kirk's conference this morning, Martin was protesting outside.
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Before addressing the Martin allegations, Kirk, standing before two maps of the Middle East and wielding a laser pointer, spoke at length about his tour in Afghanistan and conversations with military officers.
"I came up with a number of recommendations that I gave to Gen. McChrystal," said Kirk, referring to the commander of military forces in Afghanistan. "We have a tremendous amount of combat power."
Kirk also addressed the White House's current policy of releasing Guantanamo Bay terrorism suspects.
"I would urge the administration to stop the release of all Gitmo detainees," he said.
