Jesse Jackson Jr. News Roundup: Field To Succeed Jackson Jr. Grows; Quinn Sets Special Election [UPDATED]
By Chuck Sudo in News on Nov 26, 2012 10:30PM
The list of possible successors to Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.’s congressional seat continues to grow. And it’s a motley crew, to say the least.
Former Rep. Debbie Halvorson, who was beaten soundly by Jackson in the spring Democratic primary, announced her intention to fill Jackson’s seat when a special election is set early next year. A statement from Halvorson’s campaign said she was “the only candidate who could avoid freshman orientation and hit the ground running.” Halvorson, who calls suburban Crete home, represented the 11th Congressional District from 2009 to 2011 before being defeated by current Rep. Adam Kinzinger, and was an Illinois state senator for 12 years before that.
Halvorson is the first official candidate to replace Jackson. Former Cook County Board President Todd Stroger didn’t even wait until the ink was dry on Jackson’s resignation letter before saying he was considering a run for the seat. Stroger told the Sun-Times he received some calls during his weekly talk show on WVON-AM and was so emboldened that he’s “doing, as they say, some exploring at this point.” The Toddler doesn’t live in the district, but that’s not stopping him from thinking big, moving into the district and campaigning to succeed Jackson. Stroger told the Sun-Times things would be different this time around, mainly because he wouldn’t be at the County Building to take his lumps from the media.
When you’re a congressman, the media they don’t come after you. They really can’t destroy you way they did when I was at the county.
For the love of whatever you call holy: No. Just, no!
Stroger later told DNAInfo Chicago's Ted Cox he wasn't planning to run. If he thinks Chicago media is tough on him, maybe he should reconsider not running. The Illinois Board of Elections is looking into a $500,000 "investment" to his campaign fund that went missing a few months back.
Also considering runs to succeed Jackson are Rev. Corey Brooks, the pastor who made national headlines for camping out on the rooftop of an abandoned hotel in the Woodlawn neighborhood and raised money to tear it down to replace it with a community center; loquacious former Rod Blagojevich attorney Sam Adam, Jr.; Illinois state Reps. David Miller and Robin Kelly; state Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D-Olympia Fields); state Sen. Donne Trotter (D-Chicago); state Sen.-elect Napoleon Harris (D-Flossmoor); Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) and Will Burns (4th), and Jackson’s brother Jonathan.
As for that special election to replace Jackson, Cook County Clerk David Orr is hoping to use the courts to move up the time for one. Under Illinois law, Gov. Pat Quinn has five days to schedule the election, which would have to be held within 115 days of Jackson’s resignation last week, meaning the election would be held no later than March 15. Orr and his counterparts in Kankakee and Will Counties (which encompass Jackson’s congressional district) are hoping for primaries to be scheduled Feb. 26 and the general election April 9. Elections in Will and Kankakee Counties are already scheduled for those dates, and Orr and Quinn hope to keep the costs of holding a special election to a minimum. Orr believes the courts will be sympathetic. Chicago Board of Elections spokesman Jim Allen told the Sun-Times it would cost the city $1 million to hold the special elections.
Chicago Sun-Times Washington correspondent Lynn Sweet reported over the weekend that Jackson’s resignation letter was intended to take the heat in the ongoing federal probe into his campaign finances off his wife, Ald. Sandi Jackson (7th), who is also his campaign manager. According to Sweet, Sandi Jackson has been drawing a $5,000-per-month salary through her consulting form from her husband’s campaign fund, and has hired her separate legal counsel. Rep. Jackson hired the clout-heavy firm of Smith & Company to help him deal with crisis management, something he should have considered months ago, in our opinion. Sweet noted that Smith & Company principle Judy Smith is the basis for Olivia Pope of the hit ABC drama Scandal, and Smith & Company had also been employed to handle the David Petraeus sex scandal.
Finally, Jackson’s resignation reminded us of how he came to Congress—by succeeding former Rep. Mel Reynolds after Reynolds was convicted on 12 counts of sexual assault, solicitation of child pornography and obstruction of justice in 1995. He was later convicted on 15 counts of bank fraud. The wire recording transcripts between Reynolds and former campaign volunteer Beverly heard caused a stir when they were published.
Update 5:33 p.m. CST: Gov. Pat Quinn announced a few moments ago a Feb. 26 date for the primary elections to replace Jackson, followed by an April 9 general election.
“This special election will be carried out in a manner that is fair to the electorate and as economical as possible for taxpayers,” Governor Quinn said. “By holding the special primary and general elections on the same days as existing contests, we can save significant taxpayer dollars and ensure the people of the 2nd District can make their voices heard.”