Will conservatives trust Kirk on cap and trade?

SPRINGFIELD - Senate candidate Mark Kirk's changing positions on a "cap and trade" environmental bill are inspiring angry boos from some fellow Republicans and accusations of flip-flopping from Democrats.

Democrats on Friday challenged Kirk, who's in his fifth term as 10th District congressman, to explain why he now opposes a measure that he said three months ago was good for national security.

"It appears that he wants to win an election and he's willing to do that even if it means we have to keep fighting over foreign oil," said Jill Morgenthaler, Illinois' former director of homeland security and an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Congress in 2008.

Kirk was one of just eight House Republicans to vote for the bill in June. His position infuriated some conservatives, who consider the measure essentially an energy tax that will hurt manufacturers, the coal industry and consumers.

Kirk has encountered hostility from conservatives over that vote and his support of abortion rights, among other issues. He was greeted with boos at a GOP rally in DuPage County last week.

Kirk told the crowd he supported the cap-and-trade bill because it was the right thing for his congressional district in the northern suburbs.

But as a U.S. senator representing Illinois, he would oppose it, he said.

"That's because we are a manufacturing, agriculture and coal state," Kirk said to applause.

The cap-and-trade bill would cap the pollution that companies can release but also allow them to buy and sell permits for more emissions.

When he voted for the bill, Kirk said it would help reduce the chances of more American troops being sent overseas to fight wars over oil. He also said the country needed to fight global warming and that a similar cap-and-trade program for reducing acid rain had worked well.

After launching his Senate campaign in July, Kirk said he "got the message" from Republicans who were angry over his position. But he didn't flatly say then that he was wrong to support the bill or that he would oppose it in the Senate.

"There's still grumbling, absolutely," Dan Venturi, Lake County Republican Party chairman, said Friday. Venturi adds, however, that Kirk has addressed the matter in a number of public forums and isn't hiding from the issue.

"I think it's the Democrats trying to revitalize a divisive issue," Venturi said. "If they can weaken him in the primary, that would be to their advantage."

Kirk and his campaign wouldn't answer questions about the issue Friday. Campaign spokesman Eric Elk released a statement saying that as senator, Kirk would look for ways of reducing dependence on foreign oil without killing thousands of Illinois jobs.

Illinois conservatives differ on whether Kirk's new promise to oppose the plan can repair his relationship with the right.

In the GOP primary he faces challengers with limited money and name recognition, so he might win the primary even with a significant number of conservatives angry at him.

The bigger question may be whether he needs a united GOP to beat the Democratic nominee in the fall.

John Tillman, head of the Illinois Policy Institute think tank, said he's glad to see Kirk studying the cap-and-trade issue and changing his position. He says other conservatives should welcome Kirk's willingness to reconsider an issue so important to them.

"I think he's got a shot at getting those voters back. He's not going to win without them," Tillman said.

Mettawa resident Larry Falbe, who authors Team America's 10th District blog, said the initial vote startled some Republicans.

"The shock and surprise of most Republicans has long since worn off and they've turned their attention to more pressing issues like health care," Falbe said. "He (Kirk) has worked very hard to explain his position."

Fran Eaton, editor of the conservative Internet site Illinois Review, said she's hearing from conservatives who worry that Kirk is only saying what they want to hear. They fear once in office he would turn to the left.

"I think he hopes to repair the damage, but the people I talk to are feeling insulted that we're just supposed to believe anything and everything," Eaton said.

• Daily Herald Staff Writer Mick Zawislak contributed to this report.