by Ben Raker

Six days after Jesse Jackson Jr. pleaded guilty to the misuse of campaign funds, voters in his long-held district go the polls to begin the process of finding a replacement. The newly opened seat which Jackson had held for 17 years attracted a multitude of contenders – 22 in all, 17 Democrats and 5 Republicans for today's primary. Only three candidates took our questionnaire and demonstrated their Political Courage, roughly 14%, which is, sadly, par for the course when it comes to congressional candidates.

UPDATE: Robin Kelly wins Democratic primary, Republican candidate still uncertain.
 
Ben Raker is currently the project manager for Project Vote Smart's data categorization and coding project, which is laying the groundwork for more data visualizations and an easier user experience on the site. If you have questions about this project or anything we do here, please call 1-800-VOTE-SMART or email comments@votesmart.org.