Pelosi Endorses Jesse Jackson Jr. for Re-election
CHICAGO - House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi endorsed Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. for re-election Saturday, adding her weight to his quest to fend off a serious primary challenger barely two weeks before the vote.
The son of the iconic civil rights leader has been in Congress since 1995 but has never faced such a battle in his district, which includes part of Chicago's South Side and southern suburbs. His fight against former Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson, a white candidate who has made some inroads in Jackson's predominantly black district, is one of the toughest in Illinois' March 20 primary.
Pelosi, the former House speaker, praised Jackson's leadership in Congress and appealed to voters to ensure he keeps his seat, saying his work on creating jobs and supporting small businesses was ``very important to the success and growth of our country.''
``He understands what we have been advocating, the most enduring theme in America: the American dream. We're about re-igniting the American dream, building ladders of opportunity,'' Pelosi said at the Chicago headquarters of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the civil rights organization run by Jackson's father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Voters in famously segregated Chicago and its suburbs have historically voted along racial lines, and the endorsement from Pelosi could help Jackson appeal to white and rural voters who have been added to his district under a newly drawn congressional map.
Pelosi emphasized Jackson's accomplishments for the community, including what she said was a $940 million project to create jobs and improve transportation and health care as well as programs to train and place more than 1,000 nurses in jobs.
At the national level, Pelosi recalled how she chose Jackson to help preside over the debate for President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, one of his administration's highest priorities.
``I had to have the most respected, the most skilled, the most talented, the most professional people in the chair,'' Pelosi said. ``I think you would be very proud to have seen him preside over that debate, because it was something about America, and that's what's he has been about.''
Jackson's challenger in the Democratic primary, Halvorson, was dismissive of the endorsement of Pelosi, who she labeled an ``outsider.''
``The people in the district, they're really tired of outsiders and politicians coming in and telling people who to vote for,'' Halvorson said.
One of Jackson's supporters, retired social worker Delores Scott, was not so sure the endorsement of Pelosi, who is from California, would have a significant impact locally. She said she was worried Jackson could lose to Halvorson, who has sought to take advantage of the redrawn congressional map as well as a House ethics investigation into Jackson's ties to prison-bound former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
The House Ethics Committee investigated reports that Jackson was involved in trying to raise money for Blagojevich in exchange for Jackson being appointed to President Barack Obama's old Senate seat. Jackson has denied the allegations and long maintained that he'll be vindicated.
``There is a concern not so much of a challenge on her part, but of a lack of voting by us I mean black people,'' she said. ``The challenge is getting us to vote. I think that could hurt him more than anything. I'm 65 years old and I have friends who have never voted.'' By JASON KEYSERAP
Associated Press writer Karen Hawkins contributed to this report.
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