Rep. Kirk weighs Gov. run alongside Senate bid

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) is mulling a run for governor of Illinois alongside a bid for Senate, and will announce his intentions by the end of the month.

Kirk, a centrist Republican from suburban Chicago, has openly spoken about considering a run for the seat held by embattled Sen. Roland Burris (D), and could sense an opening after the impeachment of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D).

“I’m going to be spending the next two weeks doing a very careful analysis of the issues presented in Illinois on both sides and then make a decision about whether I would run for Congress again or look to the Senate or governorship,” Kirk said at the City Club of Chicago, according to the Chicago Tribune. “And so, I have set a deadline for myself of making a decision by the end of the month and we’ll stick to that.”

Kirk took aim at now-Gov. Pat Quinn (D) in his speech, criticizing him for enabling corruption and raising taxes in the middle of a recession.