Duckworth outraises Kirk in last quarter

WASHINGTON — Illinois Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Tammy Duckworth out-raised Republican rival Sen. Mark Kirk in the last quarter, according to newly filed Federal Election Commission reports.

The reports cover direct fundraising for the candidate’s main political committees, not other groups spending money on their behalf.

In June, July and August:

• Duckworth’s receipts totaled $4.135 million in the third quarter. She headed into the final weeks before the election with $5.5 million cash-on-hand.

• During the same period, Kirk raised $1.195 million. He started the final weeks of the campaign with $3.123 million cash-on-hand.

Kirk slams Trump again

Kirk slammed GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump on Thursday for not saying at last night’s debate with Hillary Clinton whether he would accept the results of the election.

Trump said he wanted to keep people in “suspense.” Clinton said that response was “horrifying.”

In a statement, Kirk said this is “another vivid example of why Donald Trump is unprepared and unfit to be commander in chief. Since the end of George Washington’s presidency in 1797, our nation has peacefully and smoothly transitioned power from one President to the next — it is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.”

“Only someone as delusional as Donald Trump would believe he is the exception to this rule.”

Obama’s radio ad for Duckworth

President Barack Obama taped an issue-oriented radio spot for Duckworth in which he touts her as a “leader who will never stop fighting for us.”

Obama does not mention Kirk in the ad, but he says Duckworth “is the right person to fill my old Senate seat.”

The campaign said that the Obama ads in the initial buy are targeting stations with African-American audiences: WBGX, WGCI, WGRB, WPWX, WSRB, WVAZ and WVON.