Politics & Government

Jackson Defeats Halvorson With More Than 70 Percent of the Vote

With more then 50,000 unofficial votes and a large lead over his opponent, Jackson is calling this his "most meaningful" victory.

Winning over Chicago and South Suburban Cook County voters by a landslide, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. defeated his opponent Debbie Halvorson in the primary election.

In his speech, Jackson made it clear he was well aware of his victory among Chicagoans and South Suburbans, taking in the win as a special moment.

“From Chicago to the suburbs all the way to Kankakee, we won them all. I have been elected and re-elected 10 times to Congress, and this time is the most meaningful,” Jackson told supporters and Sun-Times reporters at the Parkway Ballroom in Bronzeville.

Find out what's happening in Chicago Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

I lieu of his victory, Debbie Halvorson, who won over the majority of Will and Kankakee County voters, had kind yet cautionary words for Jackson.

"I'm happy for Congressman Jackson," Halvorson said. "Hopefully . . . he is trying to reconnect with his voters. Hopefully he will realize he needs to do that all the time."

Find out what's happening in Chicago Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Jackson continued to tout his longtime plans to build an airport in Peotone, calling on Gov. Quinn to make it a priority, according to Sun-Times Media.

-Some information contributed by Ryan Fitzpatrick.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here