About Cheryle Robinson Jackson
Keeping the Obama seat in Democratic hands
Illinois voters will soon vote to fill President Barack Obama's old Senate seat in what is expected to be one of the hottest races of 2010. Hoping to embarrass the president, Republicans have targeted his seat for takeover and are backing a well-funded, five-term GOP congressman whose support for the Bush economic agenda helped put the nation in crisis. The strongest Democrat to fend off this takeover attempt is Cheryle Robinson Jackson, the first female president of the Chicago Urban League - a pioneering leader and experienced executive dedicated to fostering economic growth and empowering citizens in this community. Jackson is the only woman and the only African American running for this historic Senate seat, but she has to move quickly to win the fast-approaching February 2 primary against a well-funded opponent. If she wins in November, Jackson would be the only African American in the U.S. Senate.
Creating opportunities, fighting for equality
Jackson has earned generous praise and respect for her work in the private and public sectors. Before becoming the first woman president of the Chicago Urban League, she held high-level executive posts at Amtrak and NPR. As leader of the Urban League, she's restored the venerable institution's mission of fostering economic development and entrepreneurship - helping families secure affordable mortgages, retraining workers for a new economy, and demanding equity in school funding. One of Jackson's early Senate backers, state Sen. James Meeks, said "She doesn't wait for permission to lead - she just leads." And the Cook County Democratic Women endorsed her as the candidate who "can truly represent the interest of women and their families in the U.S. Senate."
A costly battle, a short timeline
Illinois's February 2 primary gives Jackson little time to build a statewide campaign. Her chief rival for the nomination, state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, is the scion of a wealthy family who has already raised nearly $2 million for his campaign Sensing an opening, Republicans have rallied behind Mark Kirk, a Chicago-area congressman whose claims of being a moderate are undermined by his votes against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, in favor of making the Bush tax cuts permanent, and in favor of congressional intervention in the Terri Schiavo case. A charismatic and dynamic leader, Cheryle Robinson Jackson is ready to defend this seat - but she needs immediate help to raise $4 million for the February primary and another $20 million for the general election.
