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Democrat Robin Kelly claimed victory tonight in a low-turnout contest to decide the successor to former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. in a 2nd Congressional District with a history of scandal-plagued representation. With more than two-thirds percent of precincts counted, the former state lawmaker had about 77 percent of the vote to about 16 percent for Republican Paul McKinley, an unemployed political activist and ex-convict. The rest of the vote went to a Green Party candidate and three independent candidates who made the special general election ballot.

Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who pleaded guilty to misusing $750,000 in campaign funds and is facing a 46- to 57-year prison term, is now writing a book about his life in order to clarify his legacy. “He has nothing else to do right now,” one source, who’s seen draft pages of the memoir, told the Chicago Tribune. He’s trying to “clear up his legacy. … He’s desperately trying to change the narrative of his life story.” Mr. Jackson will be sentenced June 28...

A well-known Illinois state senator dropped her bid Sunday for the U.S. House seat vacated by Jesse Jackson Jr., narrowing the field and consolidating key support behind another Democrat in a race where gun control has emerged as a central issue. State Sen. Toi Hutchinson, targeted in recent days by critical anti-gun campaign ads funded by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s political action committee, said she was leaving the race and swinging her support to former state Rep. Robin Kelly. The major shake-up came with just nine days to go before the Feb. 26 primary. Hutchinson’s move reflected the sharp...

Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. was charged in federal court Friday with conspiring to use campaign funds for personal use -- in an alleged $750,000 spending spree that included purchases of a gold-plated Rolex and pricey children's furniture. It had been expected that a plea agreement would be entered into court Friday, but that agreement is apparently still pending. Instead, federal prosecutors charged Jackson Friday with conspiracy. Prosecutors separately charged his wife Sandi with filing false federal tax returns, but according to her attorney she has reached a plea agreement. In a statement, the former Illinois Democratic congressman said he...

It’s been nearly three months since Jesse Jackson Jr. resigned from Congress, but now NBC News confirms that Jackson has signed papers in a plea deal within the past several days. Jackson’s case is being handled by the US Attorney’s office in Washington DC. While no public announcement is expected today, those with knowledge of the investigation believe the loose ends now deal with Jackson’s wife, former Alderman Sandi Jackson, and whether or not she is ultimately charged. Under the terms of the deal Jackson signed, he pleads guilty and his fate – as to jail time – would be...

Ald. Sandi Jackson has resigned from the Chicago City Council. The 7th Ward alderman submitted her resignation letter to Mayor Rahm Emanuel today. It is effective Tuesday. "After much consideration and while dealing with very painful family health matters, I have met with my family and determined that the constituents of the 7th Ward, as well as you Mr. Mayor, and my colleagues in the City Council deserve a partner who can commit all of their energies to the business of the people. Therefore, it is with a heavy heart that I tender my resignation as Alderman of 7th Ward,...

It is not surprising that a crowded field of candidates is courting the same kind of clergy support in a Feb. 26 special primary election to replace Mr. Jackson, who resigned his Second Congressional District seat 15 days after winning re-election in November. Now facing a short campaign sprint, those candidates say the backing of ministers and invitations to stump at multiple church services each weekend remain the sacraments of any good election ground game in the district, which includes parts of Chicago’s South Side and southern suburbs. Like in many districts across the country where African-Americans are the majority,...

Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released its 2012 list of Washington’s “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians.” The list, in alphabetical order, includes: Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) Secretary of Energy Steven Chu Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and UN Ambassador Susan Rice Attorney General Eric Holder Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) President Barack Obama Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) Rep. David Rivera (R-FL) Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius

Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.’s wife Sandi, a Chicago alderman, was called a traitor to the community by local grassroots activist Mack Glover. Glover's accusation came during a December meeting about the housing and foreclosure problems in the black communities of Chicago’s south and west sides. His comments were directed at Jackson’s facilitation of the largest “planned urban development” (PUD) in the country. Glover accused Sandi Jackson of being a sellout for helping the project move forward and thereby giving a “white developer $100 million” to build a project in the black community, where Glover and other grassroots activists at the...

An Illinois state lawmaker who was a frontrunner to replace former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. says he's ending his candidacy because he doesn't want the felony gun charges he faces to detract from the district's important issues. Donne Trotter was arrested Dec. 5 when security screeners at O'Hare International Airport found an unloaded .25-caliber Beretta handgun in his bag. **SNIP** Trotter announced Saturday he will not seek the 2nd congressional district seat, explaining that solving the area's economic and other problems was too important to allow his legal "situation to detract from what needs to be front and center."

November 28, 2012 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- More people are lining up to replace Jesse Jackson Jr. in Congress. Former Congressman Mel Reynolds plans to announce his candidacy for the special election in a news conference at 12 p.m. An official letter of resignation from Jesse Jackson Jr. was read aloud in the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday. In 1995, Reynolds lost his congressional seat after a conviction of sexual assault and child pornography charges. He was later pardoned by then-President Bill Clinton.

Congressmen: Jackson Jr. suffering tremendouslyAssociated Press 3:54 p.m. CST, November 24, 2012 **SNIP** After Saturday's service, Davis and Rush said they have not seen Jackson and don't know where he is. But they said they understand why he has not yet spoken publicly about his resignation. "He can't take the pressure," Rush said. Rush said when he and Davis visited with Jackson a few weeks ago, the 47-year-old son of a civil rights icon broke down in tears several times. They said they don't want others to see him that way. "He's suffering under a tremendous, tremendous toil," Rush said....

Jesse Jackson Jr. resigned his seat in Congress on Wednesday, acknowledging an ongoing federal investigation into his campaign funds and expressing a desire to be remembered for what he "did right." Text from Jackson's resignation letter, submitted on Wednesday to House Speaker John Boehner: During this journey I have made my share of mistakes. I am aware of the ongoing federal investigation into my activities and I am doing my best to address the situation responsibly, cooperate with the investigators, and accept responsibility for my mistakes, for they are my mistakes and mine alone. None of us is immune from...

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is resigning from Congress, his brother Jonathan Jackson tells the Chicago Tribune. A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner confirmed Wednesday that his office has received a letter of resignation from Jackson but did not comment further, according to the Associated Press. The congressman could not be reached. Jackson, 47, a South Side Democrat, has been treated for bipolar depression and has been on a medical leave from Congress since June. He has been under investigation by federal authorities for alleged misuse of campaign dollars and also has faced a congressional ethics probe. Although he did...

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. will announce his resignation from Congress today in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner, Jackson's brother Jonathan Jackson said.

Intelligence Report: Jesse Jackson Jr. secretly returned to work last month, e-mail indicatesChuck Goudie Friday, November 16, 2012 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- The I-Team has learned that Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. secretly returned to work, apparently last month, for a short time. This is the first revelation that Jackson has been well enough to conduct any public business since first being treated for bipolar disorder more than six months ago. A congressman actually doing some work shouldn't be news, but in the case of Jesse Jackson Jr., who has supposedly been too ill to fulfill the duties of his elective office...

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D) of Illinois has been absent from Congress since June, citing his health. He's also under investigation by a House ethics panel and, reportedly, the FBI. But he looks poised to sail to reelection, polling shows.

Report: Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. releases robocall, tells supporters 'I am human'By Jonathan Easley - 10/20/12 07:07 PM ET The Chicago Sun Times is reporting that Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) sent out an automated message to constituents in his district on Saturday, asking voters to stick by him through his recent spate of difficulties. “Like many human beings, a series of events came together in my life at the same time and they have been difficult to sort through,” Jackson says in the call. “I am human. I am doing my best. I am trying to sort through them...

Sneed hears U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who is in a world of hurt and heat ­— medically and legally — may be returning to Mayo Clinic for treatment.

He’s being treated for bipolar disorder — a mental illness that can bring depression, mania, risky behavior and delusions. He’s had a highly publicized relationship with a “social acquaintance” that rocked his marriage. His name is repeatedly linked to disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Now he’s the target of a federal investigation into “suspicious activity” into his congressional finances. What does all this mean for Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.’s political future when the Nov. 6 election is a little more than three weeks away? “He’s going to be re-elected,” political consultant Thom Serafin said. “In this particular part of the...