Sen. Mark Kirk Won't Back Presidential Candidate Who Supports Iran Deal … Unless It's Colin Powell (VIDEO)

In trying to avoid a previous political misstep, Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) tripped up himself Wednesday during a TV interview as he continues to campaign to keep his seat in the U.S. Senate.

For the past several months, Kirk, who has been battling a contentious race against Democratic challenger U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, has been trying to distance himself from his party's presidential nominee, Donald Trump. And he's been trying to do that without directly or indirectly endorsing Hillary Clinton, the Democrat's candidate.

When asked by CNN's Brooke Baldwin during a live interview Wednesday to explain how his anti-Clinton stance would translate to who he votes for president in November, this is how Kirk responded:

"Hillary Clinton was for the Iran agreement, and I can't support someone who is for the Iran agreement. … In my case, I'll be writing in Gen. Colin Powell that I think would be the best person."

Kirk, however, probably should have done some fact-checking about his preferred presidential candidate before making that statement. Powell, who was secretary of state under President George W. Bush, has supported the nuclear arms agreement that was brokered between Iran and the United States last year.

"It's a pretty good deal," he said during the NBC news show Meet the Press in September of 2015.

For the rest of the interview, Kirk stressed that voters need "to put patriotism over party to make sure as a party we are backing the best person for the party." But ultimately, when pressed to choose who was a more dangerous presidential choice, Kirk picked Clinton, saying that she was tainted by too much corruption, which was something Illinois voters understood after years under currently imprisoned former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

More Kirk-Duckworth Coverage on Patch

• Watch Mark Kirk Say He'll Back Donald Trump in Tammy Duckworth Ad (VIDEO)
• Sen. Mark Kirk Backs Down From Supporting Donald Trump (VIDEO)
• Donald Trump 'Too Bigoted and Racist' for Illinois: Sen. Mark Kirk
• Donald Trump Calls Sen. Mark Kirk a Loser During GOP Sit-Down

Kirk has been trying hard to shed the albatross around his neck that his campaign believes Trump represents. The incumbent senator's initial support for Trump was attacked by Duckworth's camp in an TV ad in April, and he has been fighting against that ever since.

In June, Kirk became one of the first high-ranking Republicans to publicly withdraw support from Trump. He then called his party's nominee "too bigoted and racist" for Illinois voters during a radio interview. In that same interview, Kirk also said he would vote for former CIA Director David Petraeus as a write-in candidate.

That criticism, though, has drawn Trump's ire. During a closed-door meeting with GOP leadership in July, Trump described Kirk as a loser, according to reports. When told about the characterization, Kirk, who was not in attendance, responded:

"I guess he lit me up."

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