Illinois’ Finest: Indicted for Bribery, Re-elected by Illinois Democrats

By TOM KOCAL | The Prairie Advocate News

All is fair in love, war and politics. The political races are now over, and both sides of the aisle are gathering their forces, or tending to their wounds, whatever the case may be. But one thing did not change - Illinois Democrats and their penchant for re-electing potential criminals.

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady called the Tuesday, Nov. 6 re-election of indicted State Rep. Derrick Smith (D-Chicago) a “national disgrace.”

“It’s a national disgrace that Illinois Democrats were more interested in protecting their power than in defeating a man indicted for accepting bribes,” Brady said.

Brady noted that the Illinois Democratic Party website still listed Smith as an endorsed candidate as of Election Day.

“Mike Madigan spent more time and resources working to defeat honest candidates who are a threat to his power than he did to defeat a disgraced fellow Democrat who was caught on tape taking a bribe for a phony daycare center grant.”

But it doesn’t stop in Springfield. U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., (D-Chicago) also cruised to an easy victory with 63 percent of the vote in the Second Congressional District, despite having been absent from work since June. Jackson is under two separate federal investigations in the last few months regarding his role in Rod Blagojevich’s (former IL Governor now serving time in a federal penitentiary) attempt to sell the Senate seat, and another regarding his mismanagement of campaign funds for personal use.

Illinois Democrats now hold 12 of 18 Congressional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.