• In Illinois, Robin Kelly easily wins congressional seat vacated by Jackson Jr.

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    By NBCChicago.com

    Robin Kelly will head to Washington, D.C. this week to become the next congresswoman from Illinois.

    With 76 percent of precincts reporting as of 8:30 p.m., Kelly, a Democrat, had earned 74 percent of the vote, trumping ballots cast for her closest challenger, Republican Paul McKinley.

    The 56-year-old congresswoman-elect, who replaces convicted former Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., said she'll head to Congress with a priority list.

    "Legislatively, gun safety and gun control, of course. Immigration reform. I'm stepping into all of it, it seems, like at the right time," she said earlier in the day.

    Kelly will have big shoes to fill: Jackson was a 17-year incumbent who served on the powerful House Appropriations Committee and brought home nearly $1 billion to the district. He also had strong relationships with mayors, activists and voters across the district that includes city neighborhoods, suburbs and some rural areas.

    Jackson resigned in November. He pleaded guilty in February in federal court to lavishly misspending $750,000 in campaign funds.

    Kelly received big name endorsements including from President Barack Obama and received a huge boost from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's super PAC, which supported her gun control stance. Also, the district is solidly Democratic and has been for about six decades. McKinley is an ex-con-turned-community activist who barely won his primary.

    Early estimates showed low voter turnout in parts of the district, especially the city. Tuesday's special election coincided with municipal contests in other parts of the state; Chicago held its municipal contests in 2011.

    Only 8 percent of city voters showed up at the polls, according to early estimates, with an expected turnout of roughly 12 percent by day's end. In the suburbs, the number was higher.

    Independents Elizabeth Pahlke, Marcus Lewis and Curtis Bay, as well as Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones, were also on Tuesday's ballot.

    With the Associated Press

  • 'I'm sorry I let 'em down': Jesse Jackson Jr. and wife plead guilty to fraud

    Gary Cameron / Reuters

    Former Chicago congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. enters the U.S. District Federal Courthouse in Washington on Wednesday.

    By Daniel Arkin, Staff Writer, NBC News

    Former Illinois Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday morning to misusing more than $750,000 in campaign cash on private expenses -- including a $43,000 Rolex, Blu-ray players, health clubs, lavish vacations, furs, and a slew of luxury goods.


    Jackson, who resigned three months ago to reportedly get treatment for bipolar disorder and clinical depression, will face time behind bars when he is sentenced this summer.

    "For years I lived off my campaign," Jackson said in court as he fought back tears. "I used money that should have been for campaign purposes for personal purposes."

    Jackson accepted charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud and false statements. The embattled Democratic lawmaker reportedly agreed to a negotiated plea recommending a sentence of between 46 and 57 months and a fine in the $10,000 to $100,000 range. But prosecutors reserve the right to argue for a harsher punishment, including the maximum sentence of five years in prison.

    All parties agree that Jackson would not be eligible for probation when he is sentenced June 28.

    "I'm not bound by the sentencing guidelines," Judge Robert Wilkins said. "The sentencing guidelines are advisory and they are something I am bound to consider."

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    By way of explaining his decision to plead guilty, Jackson said, "I have no interest in wasting the taxpayers' time or their money."

    "I'm guilty, your honor," a visibly emotional Jackson said.

    Admitting that he took money received in political contributions, former Illinois Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., pleaded guilty in federal court to misusing campaign cash for personal expenses. NBC's Pete Williams reports.

    Jackson and his wife siphoned off $580,000 from the campaign war chest for a wide range of credit card transactions, including $60,857.04 at restaurants and lounges and $31,700.79 for airfare.

    The bevvy of pricey goods Jackson allegedly bought with campaign funds also include a $4,600 fedora from Michael Jackson's collection, a $1,500 cashmere cape, and a pair of mounted elk heads from a Montana taxidermist priced at $8,000.

    According to the court filing, other purchases included "high-end electronic items, collector's items, clothing, food and supplies for daily consumption, movie tickets, health club dues, personal travel and personal dining expenses."

    As he exited the courtroom, Jackson, who left office last November after 17 years in his post, opened up to a reporter.

    "Tell everybody back home I'm sorry I let 'em down, OK?" he reportedly said.

    Jackson's attorney, Reid Weingarten, told the judge that he plans to make the case at this summer's sentencing hearing that his client's mental health conditions might be mitigating factors.

    "That's not an excuse. That's just a fact," Weingarten said outside the Washington, D.C., courtroom, adding that he anticipates Jackson will rebound and have "another day," according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

    Jackson's wife, Sandi Jackson, pleaded guilty three hours after her husband's hearing to a single charge for filing false tax returns and reporting less income than she accrued. The charge comes with a maximum prison sentence of three years.

    But Sandi Jackson's lawyer, Tom Kirsch, said a negotiated plea recommends a more lenient punishment, according to NBC Chicago. Her case Wednesday afternoon was heard by the same judge who presided over her husband's hearing.

    Sandi Jackson resigned in January from her post as Chicago's 7th Ward alderman.

    The couple was joined in court by Jackson's father, civil rights icon Rev. Jesse Jackson; his brothers, Jonathan and Yusef; his sister, Santita; and Sandi sister, Tina.

    Rev. Jackson on Monday said his son still struggles with mental illness and remains under "tight medical supervision."

    "During this difficult and painful ordeal, our family has felt the impact of your prayers and calls," Rev. Jackson said. "So many ministers have reached out to us, and we thank you. The hurt in this valley is indescribable."

    Jackson's guilty plea caps off a dramatic downfall. At the apex of his political career, Jackson was a leading figure in the Democratic Party establishment, serving as a national co-chairman of President Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and as a surrogate for other high-profile politicians.

    This story was originally published on Wed Feb 20, 2013 5:08 PM EST

  • Former Rep. Jesse Jackson's wife resigns as Chicago alderman

    By BJ Lutz, NBCChicago.com

    In a formal letter to the mayor, Sandi Jackson on Friday afternoon resigned as Chicago's 7th Ward alderman.

    She said her decision to resign, effective Jan. 15, was made with a "heavy heart."

    "As a representative of the people of the 7th Ward, I value the public trust which has been bestowed upon me and take my responsibility to safeguard the interests of my constituents seriously," she said in her resignation letter.

    "Likewise, I am unapologetically a wife and a mother and I cannot deny my commitment to those most important personal responsibilities," she continued. "To that end, 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."

    In a statement, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Jackson's "leadership has been greatly appreciated."

    "As Sandi takes this time to focus on her family, we give her out deepest thanks and support for her service to our city and the residents of her ward," he said.

    Her resignation comes a little less than two months after her husband, Jesse Jackson, resigned as Illinois' 2nd District congressman amid a federal probe and after months away from his congressional duties with a diagnosis of bipolar depression.

    Soon after her husband stepped down, rumors swirled that she was interested in running for the Congressional post.

    "I will finish my term. I intend to finish my term," she said in December, denying the rumors. "Unless something catastrophic happens -- I could step outside and get hit by a bus today."

    Federal authorities had been looking into whether the former congressman used campaign funds to decorate the couple's Washington, D.C. home. The couple briefly put the home on the market.
    Additionally, Sandi Jackson had recently been asked by Illinois' State Board of Elections to explain a $69,000 discrepancy between her campaign finance reports and those of her husband.

    No charges have been filed against either Jackson.


    Also on NBCChicago.com: 22 candidates file for Jesse Jackson Jr.'s vacated seat

    Her predecessor in the 7th Ward, Bill Beavers, said he wasn't shocked by the news.

    "Not surprised. She was never there," he said, referring to the D.C. home.

    Beavers is now a Cook County Commissioner. He's also feeling the heat of the feds, accused of taking thousands of dollars in campaign dollars for personal use. He's pleaded not guilty and maintains prosecutors are after him only because he refused to wear a wire on fellow Commissioner John Daley.

    Emanuel said the process to find a replacement for Jackson, who was elected to the Chicago City Council nearly six years ago, will begin next week. The post will be filled through a mayoral appointment and would be Emanuel's first.

    A special primary to replace the former congressman will be held on Feb. 26 with the General Election following on April 9.

     

    Related stories

  • Embattled Jesse Jackson Jr. wins re-election despite criminal probe

    Katy Wolpoff / NBC Chicago

    Jesse Jackson Jr. won re-election to Illinois' 2nd Congressional district by a landslide Tuesday night, NBC Chicago reported.

    By Andrew Greiner, NBCChicago.com

    CHICAGO — U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr., who has made no public appearances since for several months amid illness and who faces a criminal probe into alleged misuse of public funds, easily won re-election to his Chicago-area district on Tuesday.

    Jackson, a Democrat who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1995 and who was diagnosed earlier this year with bipolar disorder, won re-election to Illinois' 2nd Congressional district by a landslide, beating his two opponents, Marcus Lewis and Brian Woodworth.

    As of 2 a.m. local time Wednesday (3 a.m. ET) and with 99 percent of precincts reporting, Jackson had captured 63 percent of the vote.

    "My deep and sincere thanks to the people of the 2nd Congressional District, I am humbled and moved by the support shown today," Jackson said in a written statement. "Everyday, I think about your needs and concerns. Once the doctors approve my return to work, I will continue to be the progressive fighter you have known for years. My family and I are grateful for your many heartfelt prayers and kind thoughts. I continue to feel better everyday and look forward to serving you."

    Jesse Jackson Jr. under federal investigation over alleged financial improprieties

    Jackson reportedly spent the night at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

    August 2012: Former Rhode Island U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy visited longtime friend and colleague U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., who is undergoing treatment for bipolar disorder. Kennedy described their mutual struggle with depression in this extended interview with NBC News.

    Jackson disappeared from public view before the primary when he left for a treatment center in Arizona in early June. He later moved on to Mayo where he was diagnosed with bipolar depression and gastrointestinal issues.

    More stories from NBCChicago.com

    In October, federal prosecutors and FBI agents in Washington, D.C., launched a criminal investigation into Jackson involving alleged financial improprieties.

    At the same time, a House Ethics Committee continues to look into Jackson's supposed involvement in trying to be appointed to now-President Barack Obama's seat in the U.S. Senate. Jackson has admitted he wanted to be appointed to the Senate, but has repeatedly denied allegations he sent emissaries to offer campaign cash to then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich in exchange for the seat.

    The emissary that he denies sending to negotiate with Blagojevich, Raghuveer Nayak, was arrested on 17 counts of fraud in June.

    Once a rising star, the Illinois Representative has not been seen in Congress since early June. Friends and colleagues say Jackson was being treated at a facility in Arizona. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.

    More election coverage from NBCNews.com:

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  • Trayvon Martin marchers to Sanford, Fla., police: 'We want an arrest. Shot in the chest'

    NBC's Ron Allen reports.

    By NBC News, msnbc.com staff and news services

    Updated at 1:27 p.m ET: SANFORD, Fla. -- Civil-rights leaders from the NAACP and other groups led thousands of other protesters on Saturday in a march to the city’s police headquarters to demand the arrest of the man who shot and killed Trayvon Martin.

    The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton and NAACP President Benjamin Jealous were among those leading the rally through Sanford’s streets, marching behind a huge yellow banner with the words “Justice for Trayvon.”

    “We want an arrest. Shot in the chest,” marchers chanted.


    With gospel music playing in the background, protesters were marching from a technical high school campus on 13th Street through a predominantly black neighborhood to the Sanford Police Station several blocks away. The throng stretched for blocks, weaving past homes, churches and small businesses, many of them boarded up.

    The rally was organized by the NAACP. Its chapters from South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama arranged buses to bring participants to the rally, while others traveled by car.

    "Because of the age of the young man and because of the circumstances of his death, every community can identify with that," said Bernard Simelton, president of the Alabama state conference of the NAACP. "We've had things like that happen in Alabama where somebody gets killed and the police just sweep it under the rug. It just touches everyone."

    The marchers were demanding the arrest of George Zimmerman, the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who says he was defending himself when he fatally shot 17-year-old Martin during a scuffle. Martin, who was black, was unarmed as he walked from a convenience store, and the case has become a racial flashpoint with protesters across the nation calling for his arrest. Zimmerman's father is white, his mother Hispanic.

    NAACP President and CEO Ben Jealous joins MSNBC to discuss the investigation into the death of Trayvon Martin.

    Sanford police did not immediately arrest Zimmerman, saying they had no information to disprove his assertion that he acted in self-defense. A special prosecutor has since been named to look into the case.

    Are old photos of Martin, Zimmerman deceptive?

    At a press conference before the march, Jealous and Sharpton denied media reports that Sharpton planned to call for an economic boycott of Sanford or the surrounding central Florida area, calling it a "media fabrication."

    "Put to rest the rumor that there is any discussion of a boycott of the community," Jealous told reporters.

    Sharpton said there could still be unspecified action against national corporations that support the "Stand Your Ground" laws like the one police cited when they declined to arrest Zimmerman. The law gives citizens wide latitude to use deadly force when a threat is perceived.

    Sharpton declined to identify those corporations but said, "We take nothing nonviolent off the table."

    A Florida NAACP leader said that Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee’s stepping aside temporarily was not enough, and that he should be fired.

    Martin’s death has also attracted international attention.

    About 300 people gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in London on Saturday in a show of solidarity for the Martin family's cause. Some read poems and others carried placards with the slogan 'No Justice, No peace.' At the end of the three-hour vigil, 17 black balloons where released in honor of the slain teenager.

    The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this story.

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  • Rev. Jesse Jackson to London protesters: 'Jesus was an Occupier'

    Oli Scarff / Getty Images

    Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks to Occupy activists outside of London's St. Paul's Cathedral on Thursday.

    By F. Brinley Bruton, msnbc.com

    LONDON -- Veteran activist the Rev. Jesse Jackson compared the global anti-capitalist movement to the U.S. civil rights struggle, the battle against apartheid in South Africa and the fight for Indian independence during a visit to an Occupy camp in London on Thursday.

    "Jesus was an Occupier, born under a death warrant, a Jew by religion, born in poverty under Roman occupation," the two-time candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination told a crowd near Saint Paul’s Cathedral. "Gandhi was an Occupier, Martin Luther King was an Occupier, (Nelson) Mandela was an Occupier."

    A man dressed in a well-tailored dark wool jacket and crisp checked shirt – not your stereotypical Occupy protester – cried as he watched Jackson. "He is my hero," he said.

    While the crowd enthusiastically joined Jackson for a chant, not everybody was supportive and a few heckles punctuated his speech. 

    One man who shouted that the Occupy movement wasn't addressing the needs of the homeless was detained before he reached the podium where Jackson was standing.

    F. Brinley Bruton / msnbc.com

    John, 34, who has been camped next to London's Saint Paul's Cathedral since Oct. 15, waits for Rev. Jesse Jackson to address Occupy protesters on Thursday.

    Another Occupier, who said he's been camped out since the protest began on Oct. 15, said he welcomed Jackson. However, he remained skeptical.

    "I have mixed feelings – someone told me he's quite a wealthy person," said John, 34, who declined to give a last name. "You don't know his agenda."

    F. Brinley Bruton is a senior writer for msnbc.com based in London

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