Republican Mark Kirk insists he's really not a Republican

Mark Kirk, the GOP's most endangered senator, is doing his damnedest to convince the people of Illinois that he really isn't a Republican. No, he wants them to know, he's an "independent" voice for the state. Call it the Trump effect.

The Illinois senator became the first Republican last month to release an anti-Trump television ad, which said his party's presumptive nominee "is not fit to be commander in chief."

The 32-second spot, running in the Chicago market, outlines Kirk's efforts to present himself to voters in his liberal-leaning state as more moderate than his fellow Republicans in Washington. […] 

A few weeks into his dump Trump strategy, Kirk says bucking the top of his ticket is paying off.

"It's helped because I'm a very independent voice for Illinois," he told CNN, adding that his strategy helps "make sure that people know that I always put Illinois first."...
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