Kirk slams 'outrageous' gay claim

Republican Mark Kirk responded Thursday to ads from a fringe candidate in the U.S. Senate race by flatly stating that he is not gay.

The radio ad from rival candidate Andy Martin challenged Kirk to address rumors that he is gay. The ad ran over the holidays while Kirk was on active duty in Afghanistan as a member of the Navy Reserves, which kept him from responding directly until after his return home Wednesday.

Now back on the campaign trail, Kirk called Martin's ad "completely outrageous and untrue."

"It's ironic that I was there fighting for his rights while he was using his free speech rights to say things which were untrue," Kirk said.

A Chicago Tribune poll shows Kirk, a congressman from Chicago's northern suburbs, is the front-runner in a crowded Feb. 2 GOP primary for President Barack Obama's old Senate seat.

Leaders of the Illinois Republican Party were quick to condemn Martin's ad and said they no longer considered him a legitimate candidate.

Martin has a reputation for hurling allegations at opponents in his unsuccessful attempts at public office. He has also been sanctioned by the federal courts for filing frivolous lawsuits.

Martin, whose ad is off the air, said he took that tack because the Republican Party has rigged the primary for a Kirk victory.

"This was never a fight in which I had a personal dog. I am not somebody who is against gay people," he said.

One of the radio stations that ran Martin's ad said federal law required them to give him access to the airwaves and not censor the political ad.

Kirk did not say the law should be changed.

"I wore the uniform, I'm a defender of free speech even when it's completely outrageous and untrue," he said.