Sen. Mark Kirk, whose Illinois seat is a target for Democrats in 2016, invoked the oath he took as a naval reserve officer in a Chicago Sun-Times op-ed explaining why he supports President Obama's decision to nominate a replacement for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. | AP Photo Sen. Kirk: Obama should nominate Supreme Court replacement

Republican Sen. Mark Kirk broke with Senate leadership and his party's presidential candidates on Monday, announcing that President Barack Obama should nominate a qualified successor to fill the Supreme Court vacancy.

Invoking the oath that he took as a veteran of the Navy Reserve and as a senator to uphold the Constitution, the Illinois senator wrote in a Chicago Sun-Times op-ed that in such a role, "I recognize the right of the president, be it Republican or Democrat, to place before the Senate a nominee for the Supreme Court and I fully expect and look forward to President Barack Obama advancing a nominee for the Senate to consider."


The announcement signifies a departure from the path set forth by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who within hours of Justice Antonin Scalia's death on Feb. 13, declared that the Senate would not consider any presidential nominees until after the November election.

“I also recognize my duty as a Senator to either vote in support or opposition to that nominee following a fair and thorough hearing along with a complete and transparent release of all requested information," wrote Kirk, who is facing a tough reelection bid this year.

Referring to Obama's speech before the Illinois General Assembly in which he expressed a hope to bridge the gaps of bipartisanship, Kirk expressed his own hope that Obama would nominate someone "who can bridge differences, a nominee who finds common ground and a nominee who does not speak or act in the extreme."