In what could be a mandate against the Obama Administration, Republican Congressman Mark Kirk defeated Democrat Alexi Giannoulias in a closely fought Senate contest Tuesday on Obama’s home turf. Kirk now says he wants to meet Giannoulias for a beer summit at the historic Billy Goat Tavern in downtown Chicago’s Lower Wacker area. The Billy Goat Tavern, founded in 1937 by a Greek immigrant, achieved fame primarily through newspaper columns by Mike Royko, a supposed curse on the Chicago Cubs and John Belushi’s sketch comedy on Saturday Night Live.
“Alexi and I talked about this yesterday, and I think he was amenable. My hope is that Alexi and I can sit down at 5 o’clock today talk about this at the Billy Goat and set another example, which is a pretty tough campaign where two candidates go at it, but then once the people have spoken, you let bygones be bygones and move the country forward,” said Kirk.
The Giannoulias camp made no public statements Wednesday morning. Kirk defeated Giannoulias Tuesday 48 percent to 46 percent.
Meanwhile, the man whose seat Kirk is set to fill, U.S. Sen. Roland W. Burris (D), may have the last laugh. Fellow Democrats declined to back his reelection bid, making Kirk’s victory nearly certain. Now, with Burris’ last day in the upper chamber merely weeks away, he is now stomping about his bid to become Mayor of Chicago.
Burris, who was appointed to President Obama’s old Senate seat by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, then under investigation for a pay-to-play scheme, says that his supporters are passing around petitions to draft him to run for the Windy City post. It’s a job he ran for unsuccessfully in 1995 against Richard Daley, who is now leaving office.
As for that other candidate who already declared his mayoral candidacy, with Obama’s blessing, Burris has a question: Rahm who?
“If I were to run, Rahm Emanuel would be running against me,” he said, adding that Obama’s former chief of staff is a “nationally created individual.”
“People in Chicago are not that enamored,” he said.