Illinois Election: Democrat Jonathan Jackson declares victory in Illinois 1st Congressional District
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Democrat Jonathan Jackson – a son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson – declared victory Tuesday night in the race for the 1st Congressional District.
He was up against Republican Eric Carlson.
The Associated Press declared Jackson the winner of the race Tuesday night. With 42 percent of the precincts reporting, Jackson had a comfortable lead of 79 percent compared with 21 percent for Carlson.
Jackson will succeed U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Illinois), and Rush symbolically passed the torch to Jackson at a victory party Tuesday night. The actual item Rush passed along was in his words, "more symbolic than a torch" – it was an African statue symbolizing unity and community.
At his victory celebration at the South Shore Cultural Center, Jackson gave credit to his famous Civil Rights leader father in his victory speech.
"I've seen my father bring the hostages home. I've watched my father create trade agreements and alliances with corporate America to bring our resources back. I've watched my father be a voice for the voiceless. I've watched my father – with just the faith that he's had and his belief in his God – try to make a better humanity," Jackson said. "But on this day, I can watch my father see that I want to be just like him, and carry his name and good works forward."
The redrawn district includes parts of Bronzeville, Hyde Park, Grand Crossing, Morgan Park, and Roseland – among other Chicago neighborhoods – and extends southwest to include larges section of the southwest Cook County and Will County suburbs.
Jackson is a husband and the father of three adult children, and a business partner in a Chicago beer distributorship.
He is also the spokesman for his father's Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
Jackson is the third of the Rev. Jackson's five children, and notes that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was his godfather.
Jackson defeated 17 opponents in the Democratic primary. Rush did not endorse Jackson in the primary, but promised his full support after Jackson won the general election.
As Congressman, Jackson touts a platform in favor of economic development and a fight for high-quality jobs, better transportation policies, Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and gun control – among other priorities.
Carlson is a native of the Roseland community and notes that he has lived in the city and southwest suburbs for more than 50 years. He worked 20 years in the construction trades and is a veteran of the U.S. Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, according to his campaign website.
His campaign focuses on issues including border security, fighting crime and gun violence, border security, lowering taxes, school choice, and energy independence – among other issues.
In January, Rush announced he would not seek reelection this year for a 16th term.
Rush, 75, has represented the 1st District of Illinois in Congress since 1993, and before that served for 10 years on the Chicago City Council.
Rush, said as a young civil rights activist, he could not have envisioned serving 10 years on the Chicago City Council and then 30 years in Congress. Rather, he said thought he would be dead before age 30, especially after fellow Black Panther Party members Fred Hampton and Mark Clark were assassinated on Dec. 4, 1969, during a raid on the party's West Side headquarters by police and federal agents, ordered by then-Cook County State's Attorney Edward Hanrahan.
Rush ran for mayor unsuccessfully against Mayor Richard M. Daley in 1999, and won reelection for his seat Congress the following year after fighting off a primary challenge from then-Illinois state senator and future President Barack Obama.
