Voters Deny Democrat Convicted Felon Comeback Chance

A former Congressman who went to federal prison shortly after leaving the House lost a Democratic primary Tuesday night in the district he had represented for 17 years before resigning.

Jesse Jackson Jr., the son of the late civil rights leader and former two-time presidential candidate Rev. Jesse Jackson, was sentenced to 30 months in prison in 2013 for conspiring to defraud his reelection campaign funds. In a comeback bid, Jackson Jr. lost the crowded primary by a wide margin to Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller taking only 28.7% of the vote to Miller’s 40.8% with 78% of the vote counted, according to the Associated Press (AP).

Jackson Jr., 60, used roughly $750,000 in campaign funds for personal items and expenses, including high-end appliances and electronics such as Rolex watches and Michael Jackson memorabilia.

He repeatedly filed misleading reports to conceal seven years of illegal campaign finance activity and served 17 months in federal prison. Jackson Jr. represented Illinois’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2012 before abruptly exiting his seat, citing mental health reasons.

He announced his reelection campaign on the elder Jackson’s 84th birthday, just four months before his death in February, with a