12:03 am
Wed February 27, 2013

Kelly wins Democratic primary to replace Jesse Jackson Jr.

  Former state lawmaker Robin Kelly is the last Democrat standing in the race for Jesse Jackson Junior’s old congressional seat.  As IPR’s Alex Keefe reports, she beat out a crowded field to win Tuesday’s primary: 
Listen to the story:
 The snow kept turnout pretty low. But Democratic voters who did brave the weather overwhelmingly backed Kelly. CROWD: Chanting...KELLY: Thank you, thank you, thank you so much... Kelly took the stage at a south suburban hotel surrounded by supporters and people who lost loved ones to gun violence. Indeed, guns were the big issue during the primary. A Super-PAC run by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg dumped more than 2-million dollars into the race - supporting Kelly and slamming two opponents who had good ratings from the N-R-A. But Kelly downplayed the significance of that outside money... KELLY: No, I don’t feel like - I feel like my work, my staff, my volunteers, my team is what pushed me over the top. Kelly is a favorite to win the General election in the heavily Democratic Second Congressional District on April 9th.