Chicago - October 19, 2010 - In a stunning blow to the campaign of
Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., the Southtown Star has endorsed
Isaac Hayes, his Republican challenger.
The paper's endorsement starts of with this:
The 2nd Congressional District stretches from Chicago's South Side into the suburbs, picking up wide swaths of reliable Democratic voters in Calumet City, Dolton, Harvey, Lansing, Matteson and Chicago Heights.
For 15 years, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-2nd) has represented this city-suburban district and, more often than not, earned our endorsement.
But questions surrounding Jackson's involvement in Rod Blagojevich's pay-to-play U.S. Senate appointment fiasco, and more important, Jackson's unwillingness to meet face-to-face to explain it, leave us ill-equipped to endorse him for another term. Full editorial...
The Southtown Star could not have made any other choice. Jesse Jackson, Jr. has shown himself to be dishonest, unfaithful to his wife as well as to his constituents, and a man of low character. Like the Southtown Star, the voters of the 2nd District must face the fact that there is only one good man in the race. They are fortunate to have Isaac Hayes, a man of solid integrity and sharp intelligence, as that one good man. The choice so clear that one wonders why anybody would cling to the flawed and disgraced Jackson, Jr.
The Southtown Star's endorsement included this:
Hayes is running on a platform of restoring integrity in government, reducing spending, cutting the federal deficit and increasing the number of police officers in high crime areas of the 2nd District through Department of Homeland Security funding. He is young, dynamic and thoughtful. Full editorial...
Here is the Hayes campaign's news release about the endorsement:
Republican Nominee for Illinois 2nd Congressional District Isaac Hayes released the following statement applauding today's endorsement by the Southtown Star newspaper.
“I am greatly encouraged by the endorsement of the Southtown Star,” said Hayes. “Its endorsement is a strong vote of confidence to Independents and non-ideological Democrats that I am ready for the job.”
In its endorsement the Southtown star called Hayes, “young, dynamic and thoughtful.” Recognizing that political corruption is a “distraction” to job creation and small business growth, the Southtown Star broke from the status quo and endorsed Hayes who is ready "to hit the ground running in Washington, D.C."
Hayes has received the only two endorsements in the race for Illinois 2nd Congressional District. In April, the Kankakee City News, a Black-owned newspaper, endorsed Hayes, calling him the “change in direction and leadership” the district needed.
The Southtown Star, the most influential newspaper in the South Suburbs of Chicago, endorsing Hayes will give undecided voters confidence in Hayes’ ability to Represent them in Congress with competent leadership.
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