The family of the late civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson said Monday that no endorsement had been finalized in Illinois’ Democratic Senate primary, after Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton’s campaign claimed over the weekend that she had received his backing.
The confusion stems from a sample ballot circulated by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Jackson’s civil rights organization, that listed Stratton as a recommended candidate. According to Yusef Jackson, the organization’s head and Jackson’s son, the draft ballot was released without authorization.
The dispute comes ahead of Tuesday’s competitive primary to replace retiring Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) where Stratton faces Reps. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi. Some Democrats have expressed concern that a split among Black voters could influence the outcome.
“Earlier this year, despite ongoing challenges with mobility and his declining health, Reverend Jackson began the process of reviewing candidates and identifying those he intended to support,” Yusef Jackson said in a statement posted to Facebook. “However, he did not live long enough to finish the process.”
“Out of respect for my father, we decided not to publicly release his intended selections given the process had not been finalized,” he added. “However, due to an internal miscommunication, a draft sample ballot was released by a staff person who did not have authorization.”
Stratton’s campaign said coalition officials had informed her she had received Jackson’s endorsement and encouraged her to share the news.
“Juliana spoke on Saturday at Rainbow PUSH for a Women’s History Month event, and officials told her she received the endorsements,” the campaign told the Chicago Sun-Times. “Organizers shared the sample election ballot that was already being distributed and encouraged her to share the news.”
Yusef Jackson said the controversy was the result of an “unintentional error” and emphasized that the family is not issuing endorsements in the race.
“I want to be very clear. We did not withdraw or retract our endorsement of any one candidate,” he said. “Instead, we made clear that the document shared this weekend was not final and, out of respect for my late father and in our family’s time of bereavement, we would not be confirming or issuing political endorsements in this cycle.”
He also expressed frustration that the dispute has overshadowed substantive issues.
“I am disheartened that the topic of today’s political chatter has been focused on this instead of the issues that matter to everyday voters,” he said, citing affordability, healthcare, education, and civil rights.
Stratton had previously said she was “deeply honored” to have earned Jackson’s support before his passing.
Rep. Jonathan Jackson, another son of the late civil rights leader, pushed back on the idea that his father would have weighed in on the race, telling Politico he “never got in on Black-on-Black fights” and that the rush to claim an endorsement “smells of desperation.”
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