Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.,is flirting with the idea of backing Republican Mark Kirk in the election.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/37673.html

It’s been a rough stretch for Illinois Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias — and it could be getting a little bit rougher.

His family’s business, Broadway Bank, was seized by regulators last month. He’s had trouble getting robust support from a White House that originally preferred another candidate. And political writer Stu Rothenberg devoted a column last week to asking “Is it time for Democrats to shove Giannoulias out?”

Now, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who did not endorse anyone in the Democratic primary, is flirting with the idea of backing Republican nominee Mark Kirk in the general election.

“I like Alexi Giannoulias, but I have great respect for Mark Kirk and his service to the people of Illinois,” Jackson told POLITICO.

Jackson and Kirk work together on the House Appropriations Committee, on which both are senior members of the subcommittee that provides foreign aid.