CHICAGO — Former Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. fell short in his attempt to return to Congress on Tuesday, after resigning more than a decade ago amid a federal corruption investigation.
Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller defeated him and a host of other candidates to win the Democratic primary for Illinois’ 2nd district, a seat currently held by Rep. Robin Kelly, who left to run for the Senate.
Jackson’s comeback bid transformed the race into a high-profile showdown, with the former representative leaning on his deep name recognition. But Jackson — who resigned in 2012 and served prison time after pleading guilty to wire and mail fraud for misusing $750,000 in campaign funds — was unable to successfully reframe his past as a redemption story.
Meanwhile, Miller consolidated support across key parts of the district and benefited from spending by a group aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which funneled more than $4 million into ads promoting her campaign. The contest drew national attention in part because the group, Affordable Chicago Now, gave Miller’s campaign substantial airtime in the Chicago media market and funded mail pieces highlighting her record.
The spending helped elevate Miller’s profile even as a separate political action committee, the Leading the Future PAC, which is funded by OpenAI stakeholders, spent more than $1 million to promote Jackson after he signaled support for the industry with op-eds and ads.
Miller focused her campaign on her work on public health, public safety and budget oversight. She also underscored her longstanding ties to Democratic women’s organizations, as vice president of Illinois Democratic Women, former president of the Democratic Women of the South Suburbs and past board chair of Planned Parenthood of Illinois and its political action committee.
She made a concerted effort not to attack her opponents, saying she was “the only candidate in the race” to do so.
Other notable names in the race included state Sens. Robert Peters and Willie Preston.
The 2nd District, which stretches from Chicago’s South Side into the south suburbs and rural counties, is heavily Democratic and Miller is expected to win easily in November.
