Kirk's first ad tells his stroke recovery story

U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk focuses on his recovery from a serious stroke in the first TV ad of his re-election campaign.

"As I learned to walk and climb again, I thought of our Illinois families struggling to get by," the Highland Park Republican says in the spot. "I thought of our veterans and our heroic men and women who are serving in harm's way. They're the reason why I fought so hard to get back."

The debut of the ad long before many voters are thinking about the 2016 election shows how serious Illinois' Senate race is expected to be. Kirk is seeking a second term in the U.S. Senate after five terms in the House from the north suburban 10th District.

Kirk suffered a stroke in 2012 and returned to Congress a year later by climbing the steps of the U.S. Capitol.

U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, a Hoffman Estates Democrat, has said she'll run for the Senate in 2016. She has started at second term in the House from the northwest suburban 8th Congressional District.

Chicago Urban League CEO Andrea Zopp has said she might make a Democratic primary bid as well, and U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly of Matteson hasn't said what she'll do.

Conservative talk radio host and former Congressman Joe Walsh has said he's weighing a primary campaign against Kirk.