“This Senate seat has just returned to its rightful owners, the people of Illinois,” said a Kirk spokesman.

Over 500 Kirk supporters cheered as the results started pouring in at the Westin Hotel in Wheeling. Kirk led Giannoulias 48 percent to 46 percent, with 97 percent of precincts reporting.  The Democratic challenger soon after conceded.

“We are 800 miles from any ocean, but a tsunami just hit the heartland,” said Kirk.

The bitterly contested race has deeply rooted symbolism due to the fact that former Gov. Rod Blagojevich recently faced criminal charges for allegedly trying to sell the vacant Senate seat after the 2008 presidential election.

Kirk exclaimed to the crowd of euphoric supporters that Illinois is going to “reclaim our state as the honest Land of Lincoln.”

Kirk is considered moderate and, for many, is the ideal candidate to represent the Republican Party in these trying times. In his remarks, he addressed the fact that there needs to be sanctions against Iran and noted he is interested in adding a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.

“I stand here tonight as a fiscal conservative, a social moderate, and a national security hawk,” Kirk said.

“It was a vote for fiscal responsibility, for spending restraint, for lower taxes, to put our economy back to work, to support the troops, to defend our allies…a vote for thoughtful independent leadership,” he said.

The sea of Republican supporters relished in the victory as the Zion Benton High School Junior ROTC presented the colors. Kirk’s pastor opened the evening’s remarks by praying, “Through his leadership, the strong will be renewed.”

Illinois Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) also praised the evening’s champion, proclaiming, “Mark Kirk is the man for this job.”

Kirk is in his fifth term representing the 10th Congressional District of Illinois. He is a member of the commanding House Appropriations Committee, Co-chairman of the GOP Tuesday Group and the founder of the bipartisan House US-China Working Group.

The newly-elected senator thanked those individuals who assisted on the campaign and highlighted his faithful family and friends. Kirk quipped that he was confident that his father and stepfather were both watching the results from heaven — his father tuned into MSNBC and his stepfather glued to Fox News.

“I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work,” said Kirk.

Kirk announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate on July 20, 2009 and won the Republican primary vote on Feb. 2 with 56.6 percent. Historically, no candidate has ever received more than 20 percent.

Kirk’s campaign hit several rough patches along the way. The Navy Reserve officer was forced to apologize for embellishing his military record; including claims he came under enemy fire while serving overseas and that he was the Navy’s “Intelligence Officer of the Year.”

The Giannoulias campaign suffered throughout the election as well, with the collapse of his family’s Broadway Bank and questions about financing he provided to alleged criminals as a loan officer.

“Alexi and I discussed having a beer after this thing is over,” said Kirk.

Kirk extended an invitation to Giannoulias to meet Wednesday night at the Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago.

Kirk graduated from New Trier High School and attended the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico as well as Blackburn College before earning a B.A. from Cornell.  He respectively obtained a Masters Degree from the London School of Economics and a law degree from Georgetown.

Kirk has voted with the greater part of the Republican Party 88.4 percent of the time during the existing Congress, but said he supports “independent leadership.”

“You’ve got a 40-year career politician who’s desperately behind in the polls and he’s pulling out all the stops to save his own political career,” said Brady, imputing Quinn.

In his 15-minute spiel, Brady discussed numerous hot-button issues, including taxes, health care and the economy. With the election less than a week away, the event served as a final push by the Brady camp to defray some of the negative comments that have been made by his challenger.

“Just because Gov. Quinn says something over and over and over again doesn’t mean it’s true,” said Brady. “The governor can’t make truth out of mistruths just because he keeps repeating it.”

With many Illinoisans deeming state finances the most ubiquitous concern, the Republican stated we can’t afford another four years of the last two. With Illinois being only one of eight states to still be in recession, Brady affirmed that the system is broken and it is a lack of discipline in government that is crippling the state.

“If we balance our budget, level the playing field and stabilize the tax environment, we can bring the 800,000 jobs that we’ve lost,” said Brady. “I’m not sure about the shenanigans with Gov. Quinn’s entire plan, but I’m for creating jobs.”

Brady presented an outline of his plan that, if elected, would give a $2,500 tax credit to anybody that creates a new job the first year and $1,250 the second.

Quinn has lambasted Brady numerous times for his opposition to covering mammograms in health insurance. At the lunch, Brady said that he, in fact, voted for the bill to protect the rights of women. According to Brady’s website, he “expanded insurance coverage for mammograms (HB1881), breast exams (HB147), ovarian cancer testing (SB521) and osteoporosis (SB2744; 2005).”

“The people of Illinois are waking up. … They realize that this is someone who has trouble dealing with reality and is going to say whatever he needs to say that he thinks will help his floundering political campaign,” said Brady.

Following the speech, Brady answered questions from the audience and relished in the fact that he is currently four points ahead of his opponent in the polls.

The Quinn campaign failed to return calls for a statement.

The evening included remarks from congressional candidate Isaac Hayes, a Republican congressman from the 2^nd District; political commentator and entrepreneur Dan Proft; and Tea Party Organizer Steve Stevlic.

As the floor opened for discussion, many individuals voiced opinions about the current state of affairs. The bipartisan crowd eagerly flocked to such issues as health care and the economy.

“We must cut Washington by getting rid of agencies that are unconstitutional, by making sure every spending bill that comes before congress now has a repay constitutional requirement,” said Hayes.

The exchange continued as Hayes addressed the fact that he is a proponent of free trade, term limits, Second Amendment rights without restrictions, school choice, unions and extending the tax cuts implemented under former President George W. Bush.

“I do not want to have to tell my grandchildren or son what America used to be,” said Hayes.  “Freedom and liberty must be definitive with every generation or else it will be taken from us.”

Hayes is running against Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. for the position and stated in his remarks that according to statistics, 72 percent of Illinoisans do not have a favorable opinion of his opponent.  This comes on the brink of reports that Jackson has been involved in extramarital affairs.

“One of the things I was asked was, ‘How are you going to have influence being a freshman congressman?’ The way things are looking, there’s going to be a whole bunch of freshman coming in,” quipped Hayes.

Dan Proft also took the floor, adding lighthearted and comedic charm to the heavy discussion.

“One in four self-identified Democrats favor to repeal Obamacare. You know what that means, don’t you? That could only mean one thing. Twenty-five percent of Democrats are racist,” joked Proft.

Aside from poking fun at both parties, Proft addressed the fact that, like it or not, the Tea Party movement looks like it’s here to stay. Coming into the midterm elections, there looks to be great change stirring throughout Illinois and the rest of the nation.

“The Tea Party movement has dominated this election cycle,” said Proft.

In regard to both Democrats and Republicans, Proft noted, “We have tried to find the perfect ideological fit…rather than looking for a new dynamic oasis that could transcend disagreements on policy issues.”

Proft also reiterated a wisecrack from 1994 as said by three-term Wyoming Sen. Malcolm Wallop.  “If the Democrats in congress introduce a bill to burn down the U.S. Capitol, Republicans would compromise and agree to phase in over three years.”

Tea Party Organizer Steve Stevlic acted as emcee for the evening, adopting a bipartisan approach to the whole shebang.

“It’s not just the media, it’s not just the democrats that don’t know what the Tea Party Movement is all about.  The republican establishment does not know what the Tea Party Movement is about either,” said Stevlic.

The Tea Party movement gained national attention in 2009.  The general concerns of the party include limiting the size of government, reducing wasteful spending, adhering to the United States Constitution, lowering taxes and stabilizing the economy.

“The reaction is because people have been hurt in the past couple of years in a way they have never been hurt before. When people get hurt they pick their heads up and they look around and say, “What the hell is going on,” said Proft.  “What it’s really about is recalibrating the relationship between our government and the individual citizen.”

Proft’s final remark of the evening seems to sum up the entire movement.

“The Tea Party isn’t part of the Republican Party, it’s a critique of the Republican Party. It’s the criticism of what it has become,” said Proft.

Brady is pressing for more details on an agreement that was recently struck between Quinn and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) – the largest union in Illinois.

Quinn agreed not to lay off Illinois union workers or close any facilities where AFSCME members are employed until June 2012. Two days later, the union publicly announced that it would be supporting Quinn and agreed to come up with $50 to $100 million in spending cuts. Causing further uproar, Quinn brought along state budget director David Vaught, the man behind the union negotiations, to his endorsement meeting.

“Pat Quinn is no different from the same political insiders he once protested,” Brady said.

Brady also suggested in a recent press release that Gov. Quinn has signed legislation in the past that calls for openness about large public donations. The A-1 disclosure period starts Oct. 4, meaning it’s only a matter of time until the large union donations will be made public.

“Show us any ASFCME, SEIU, or other public employee union contributions and prove to the public that you are Pat Quinn the reformer,” Brady said. “Or hide the donations, abide by the same failed campaign laws Rod Blagojevich abused, and be remembered as Quinn, the governor who learned from the pay-to-play master himself  — Rod Blagojevich.”

“This controversy has been manufactured because we’re in the middle of a political season,” AFSCME Council 31 spokesman Anders Lindall said. “Normally, an agreement like this would not draw a lot of attention or opposition.”

Lindall went on to say AFSCME has not decided to trade their support for Quinn because he’s promised not to cut jobs., but rather, that the decision is “based on the fact that he is more supportive of workers than his Republican opponent.”

Steve Kim, the Republican candidate for Illinois attorney general, has called on Attorney General Lisa Madigan to issue an investigation on whether any laws have been broken.

“Lisa Madigan has subpoena power, she can investigate, she needs to protect the taxpayers of Illinois,” said Kim. “She needs to follow the money.”

“The governor is proud of his close ties with the AFSCME. Those are the people Gov. Quinn is looking out for and will always look out for. Pat Quinn will never let down the workers of Illinois,” Quinn spokesperson Mica Matsoff explained.

Matsoff went on to say that Quinn did not enter the agreement looking for a “quid pro quo” contract, but that the governor is concerned about the workers of Illinois, and that the deal will save the state millions of dollars.