U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) does not have plans to endorse a Republican during the gubernatorial primary election, according to comments made at a Veteran's Day event. 

“There’s no upside for me to get involved in a messy Republican primary for governor, and I won’t be getting involved in that race,” the senator said.

Although he will not pick a candidate to back, the senator said it is vital that any Republican vying for the the governor's mansion be moderate if they want a chance at winning the general election. 

“It’s pretty tough to win statewide as a Republican in Illinois. I would just urge be a moderate on the social issues,” Kirk said.

“I would say that any statewide candidate has got to have moderate views to reflect the whole state,” Kirk added. “Many times when you look at the political spectrum you’ll see everything that goes way out to extreme right, way out to extreme left — the question the candidates have to ask themselves: ‘Who represents everybody in the middle?’ So you gotta represent the vast bulk of us who are not extreme right or extreme left.”

Kirk also made mention of the same-sex marriage bill that passed the state legislature last week, saying that he supported the measure.

“For me, I backed it,” Kirk said. “I applaud the state Legislature who just did that.”

Meanwhile, three of the four Republicans running for governor, Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford and State Sens. Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard, say they oppose same-sex marriage. And venture capitalist Bruce Rauner says he would veto the mesaure if it came to his desk as govenor and would instead push for it be to up for a referendum vote. He has yet to state his personal views on the issue.