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* Pearson…

Lost in the coverage of Friday night’s protests was the announcement that Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, viewed as one of the most politically vulnerable senators seeking re-election, said he would support Trump if he won the GOP presidential nomination. Kirk’s comments came during an interview with WMAQ-Ch. 5 before the Trump event was called off.

* According to the Duckworth campaign, Kirk told Channel 5 “If he’s the nominee, I certainly would,” when asked about endorsing Trump.

The Duckworth campaign’s response…

“Two men are making news in Illinois tonight. One of them recently said people ‘drive faster through’ black neighborhoods, called a U.S. Senator a ‘bro with no ho,’ and suggested President Obama’s end goal for the Iranian nuclear agreement was to ‘get nukes to Iran.’ The other man is Donald Trump.

…Adding… The video clip…

* But Sen. Kirk’s timing was unfortunate, to say the least…

Republican presidential candidates Marco Rubio and John Kasich suggested Saturday they may not support Donald Trump if he becomes the GOP nominee, as violence at the front-runner’s rallies deepened the party’s chaotic chasm.

Rubio told supporters that while he was currently sticking with his pledge to back the nominee if he wasn’t the party’s choice, “it’s getting harder every day.”

Kasich said the “toxic environment” Trump is creating “makes it very, extremely difficult” to support him.

“To see Americans slugging themselves at a political rally deeply disturbed me,” Kasich said while campaigning in Cincinnati. “We’re better than that.”

Rubio and Kasich have previously committed to backing Trump should he win the Republican nomination, despite reservations about his qualifications. Their extraordinary shift came hours after clashes between Trump supporters and protesters Friday night in Chicago, and just a few days before Tuesday’s elections in five delegate-rich states.