Sen. Mark Kirk said he will write in Colin Powell when he votes for president. | Getty Sen. Kirk plans to write in Colin Powell for president

Sen. Mark Kirk plans to write in Colin Powell’s name for president on his general election ballot this November, the Illinois lawmaker said Wednesday afternoon.

The Republican, locked in a tight battle for reelection with Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), has already said he will not support Donald Trump for president this fall and told CNN in an interview that he cannot vote for Hillary Clinton, either, because of her support for the Iran nuclear agreement.


Instead, Kirk said he will write in Powell’s name, even though the retired general has previously defended the Iran deal that Kirk said is disqualifying for Clinton. Pressed by the CNN anchor on which of the major party candidates represents a greater threat to the country, Kirk said it was Clinton “because, in Illinois, we really understand corruption after the Blagojevich years. Too corrupt for the country now.”

Kirk, whose seat is considered among the GOP’s most vulnerable this fall, offered advice to other prominent Republicans struggling to embrace their party’s bombastic nominee. He urged his fellow Republicans to show voters that “you are backing the national interest and not going to drive off the cliff with Trump.”

“Find a way to write an American that you think can really lead this country to a much better shining city on the hill,” he said, adding later that Republicans should “put the people first and the country first rather than party and the voters will rally to your cause very quickly.”