Tammy Duckworth projected as winner in Illinois senate race over GOP incumbent Mark Kirk

Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) has been projected as the winner of her U.S. Senate race.

The Democratic lawmaker is projected to defeat incumbent Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL), who opposed GOP nominee Donald Trump.

Kirk angered voters last month when he questioned Duckworth's family history during a debate.

Duckworth -- an Iraq War veteran — described her family's military service going back to the American Revolution, and Kirk mocked her Thai ancestry.

The newly elected senator's mother is an immigrant from Thailand, and her father is a World War II veteran.