The son of civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson won Tuesday’s primary election for the congressional seat that had been held for 30 years by former Black Panther Bobby Rush.
First-time candidate Jonathan Jackson, buoyed by name recognition from his famous father and more than $1 million in outside spending by groups affiliated with the cryptocurrency industry, had been leading in most polls since he announced his candidacy to replace Rush in February.
Seventeen candidates had sought to replace Rush in the primary, the winner of which is all but assured of winning the seat in the November general election.
The mood was jubilant at the DuSable Museum of African American History as Jonathan Jackson, joined by his father and a full band, took the stage to announce victory around 9 p.m.
Rev. Jackson sat teary-eyed by his son as Jonathan Jackson addressed the crowd. Jonathan Jackson handed flowers to his wife, sisters and daughters and thanked his 80-yer-old father.
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“No matter how high I go, I’ll always look up to you,” he said.
“We have some challenges that are ahead of us, and I want to thank you for bestowing upon me this high and great honor to trust me with your vote, to represent you, in Washington D.C.,” Jackson said. “The South Side has been left behind, and I want you to know the South Side of Chicago matters.”
With 94% of precincts reporting, Jackson led the field with 28% of ballots cast, trailed by Ald. Pat Dowell with 19 % and Rush’s endorsed pick for the seat, Karin Norington-Reaves, with 14%.
Army veteran Carlson led the four-way GOP race with 41% of the vote, trailed by gun shop owner Jeffrey Regnier’s 39%.
November will mark the first time Rush’s name won’t appear on the congressional general election ballot to represent the historic 1st District for the first time since 1992.
Jackson touted the experience he gained working at the side of his civil rights icon father, seldom mentioning his brother, disgraced former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who represented the adjacent 2nd District from 1995 to 2012, when he resigned amid a scandal over misuse of campaign funds that sent him in federal prison.
Jonathan Jackson, who campaigned for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential bid, was endorsed by the Vermont senator and local progressives, including 4th District U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia.
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Jackson trailed in fundraising as of the last finance report and was battered by opponents for his failure to file financial disclosure reports until just days before the election. Then, in the final weeks of the campaign, Jackson got a big boost from more than $500,000 in ad spending by a political action committee backed by cryptocurrency billionaire Samuel Bankman-Fried, whose Bahamas-based cryptocurrency exchange FTX has a headquarters in Chicago’s West Loop.
All told, Jackson benefited from outside expenditures of more than $1 million from three PACs with ties to the cryptocurrency industry. Bankman-Fried donated $23 million of the $24 million raised by Protect Our Future PAC.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire & Chicago Sun-Times 2022. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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