U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk thanks outgoing Illinois GOP Chair Pat Brady for 'selflessly serving.'

The state’s top-ranking Republican made clear Tuesday his support was unwavering for the outgoing Illinois party chairman who controversially backed same sex marriage.

U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill) thanked Brady for his years of service to the Republican state party.

“Whether as a federal prosecutor or leading the Illinois Republican Party, Pat Brady has spent the last several years selflessly serving his community and party and I thank him for his service,” Kirk said in a statement today.

Pat Brady announced Tuesday morning he was stepping down from the helm of the GOP, in part

Brady said his departure had several tenets to it but chief among them, he wanted to scale back to spend more time with his wife who is battling cancer.

“I respect and understand Pat’s decision to spend more time with his wife Julie during this difficult time in their lives,” Kirk said. “Julie is a fighter and I will continue to pray for her, Pat and the kids as they move forward.”

Brady had rankled some conservatives in the party when he announced he was backing same sex marriage. Kirk later announced his own support for same sex marriage.