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Duckworth Distances Herself From Blagojevich

Lisa Ryan

Republicans are making an issue of Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth's ties to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, now that she's running for U.S. Senate.

In 2006, then-Gov. Blagojevich appointed Duckworth to head the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. Duckworth says she is proud of her time at the VA and says she is separate from the currently imprisoned Blagojevich.

"I stood up and I asked those tough questions. So I think if you look at my record, you'll see that I have consistently been an independent voice and that I bring a very unique perspective to the discussion," Duckworth said.

Duckworth, a Democrat and veteran, says Sen. Mark Kirk is not focused on the right policies for Illinois.

In a statement, Kirk, a Republican and also a veteran, says he has worked to get rid of corruption in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Lisa Ryan is a graduate student in the public affairs reporting program at the University of Illinois at Springfield. She previously worked at Indiana Public Radio and the college radio station founded by David Letterman. She is a 2014 broadcast journalism and political science graduate of Ball State University.
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