Could a tea partyer replace Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.?

The congressional seat vacated by Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. this week is attracting no small amount of interest. 

Since Jackson announced on Wednesday that he was leaving office after 17 years for mental-health reasons, the local media have cited a number of sources saying they want to represent Illinois' Second District. They include his wife, Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson; his brother, John Jackson; and former US Rep. Debbie Halvorson, who lost to Congressman Jackson in the March Democratic primary.

Other names include Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Illinois State Sen. Toi Hutchinson, and Sam Adams, an Illinois attorney who led former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s defense team.

Some Democrats see a danger in so many would-be members of congressman. “My fear is that there is going to be so many wannabes blinded by ambition ... that we could find a tea party" candidate winning, said Rep. Bobby Rush, who represents Illinois' First District, hours after Jackson’s resignation.

With President Obama taking 82 percent of the vote in the Nov. 6 election, that would seem a remote prospect. Whoever advances from the Democratic primary would seem to be the overwhelming favorite.

Still, independent candidate Marcus Lewis has already announced his candidacy. He lost to Jackson in November, taking only about 14 percent of the vote. He made his intentions known late Wednesday, telling supporters he planned to run “to stop the trickery” associated with the seat “for decades.”

In his resignation letter sent to House Speaker John Boehner Wednesday, Jackson noted that he was also preparing for a federal indictment that media reports say should be announced against him in the near future. The House Ethics Committee is investigating whether Jackson tried to bribe imprisoned Governor Blagojevich for an appointment to Mr. Obama’s former Senate seat, or at least tried to engage in the process through an emissary. Jackson denies the charges.

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