An Interview With Illinois U.S. Senatorial Candidate Cheryle Jackson

By Charles S. Mombo

Cheryle Robinson Jackson, Illinois Democratic Senatorial candidate

Since 1870, the United States Senate have had ONLY 6 African-American Senators. Two out of the six were Republicans elected during the Reconstruction era and four out of the six were elected in modern era. The last three African Americans or Blacks to serve in the U.S Senate were from Illinois.

The six African Americans to have served in the U.S. Senate are:

Hiram Rhodes Revels, Republican, Mississippi, 1870-1871; Blanche Bruce, Republican, Mississippi, 1875-1881; Edward Brooke, Republican, Massachusetts, 1967-1979; Carol Moseley Braun, Democrat, Illinois, 1993-1999; Barack Obama, Democrat, Illinois, 2005-2008; and Roland Burris, Democrat, Illinois, 2009-2010.

As the crowded Illinois Senatorial race fired-up, one can't help but notice the only African- American candidate, Cheryle Robinson Jackson, standing in the ring with an all-male cast. Jackson is the Chicago Urban League President. Some of her supporters are even speculating that the “white-dominated” media are ignoring Jackson's candidacy and are giving her little or no air-time. Others are comparing her campaign to that of former Illinois Senator Carol Moseley Braun when she ran as underdog and won the election in 1992.

Jackson entered the campaign for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate with four major challenges – all wealthy white male. She is running against Alexi Giannoulias, Illinois State Treasurer & Ex-Banker; David Hoffman, Ex-City of Chicago Inspector General, Attorney & Ex-Congressional Aide; Robert Marshall, Physician, Vietnam War Veteran & '90/'98 GOP US Rep. Nominee; and Jacob Meister, Attorney & Ex-Congressional Aide for the Democratic nod in the next primary.

Despite her very busy schedule, Illinois Democratic Senatorial candidate Cheryle Jackson (CJ) found the time to allow Chocolatecity.cc (CC) the opportunity to ask her some tough questions.

The results of this interview should show Illinois voters the type of person Jackson is and where she stands on the issues that matter to Illinoisans. I found Jackson to be very thoughtful and engaging. It is not hard to see how she has done very well in her prior business endeavors. These personality traits will translate well into her foray into the "mostly all-white male political club," the U.S. Senate.

CC: Who is Cheryle Jackson and why should Illinois vote for her?

From my earliest lessons from my father about the power and promise of entrepreneurship, to my experience at the Chicago Urban League fighting for families and communities, I have been convinced that Illinois needs more of a problem solver than a politician in the U.S. Senate. At the Urban League, I transformed the organization to focus on the causes of joblessness, home foreclosures and poor education. I sued the governor to make Illinois education funding equitable and adequate based on the premise that the current system is a violation of the civil rights for students across the state. My work launching the NEXT ONE program to promote and foster small businesses has convinced me that shifting our focus from Wall Street to Main Street and supporting small businesses through tax credits, job training funds and other incentives is the only way to create new jobs and hasten the time when everyday people begin to feel an economic recovery. I am running to support comprehensive health care for all, including a robust public option to expand access and provide the level of competition in the market to contain escalating costs. And women must not be left behind in health care reform. I oppose the Stupak-Pitts amendment which denies women access to essential reproductive care. Women need more than a vote in the Senate, they need another strong voice. I am also running because we need a dramatic shift in our federal spending priorities, including bringing our troops and resources home to solve the challenges we face in health care, job creation, and education.

CC: Where did you go to school and what was your major in college?

CJ: I graduated from Northwestern university with a B.A. in design

CC: What do you see as the role of the federal government in America today?

To support and enforce civil rights, to ensure adequate health care for all, to address the crisis in public education and to help families by creating jobs, supporting small businesses and bringing the economic recovery from Wall Street to Main Street.

CC: Were you a supporter of the bail-out of Wall Street? If you did support the bail-out, why did you support it? Or, why did you not support it?

CJ: The bail out was necessary to save the financial system ravaged by greed and a lack of transparency. But now, unspent TARP and stimulus funds should be redirected to create jobs and help those faced with home foreclosure. The middle class is under siege and the government must act or many families will never eecover.

CC: A Chicago Tribune poll released this week showed Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias had the support of 31 percent of Democratic primary voters, while you had only 17 percent and Hoffman had 9 percent support. Thirty-five percent of Democratic voters said they were undecided. What are you doing to attract those undecided voters.

CJ: Our message to progressives, women and every day voters in Illinois is catching on with voters who want a real problem solver in the Senate who has a record of fighting for families. Our polling shows I have the best chance of gaining ground once voters hear my message. And it’s working. I gained 5 percent in the polls between October and December while the other candidates numbers did not improve.

CC: How would you like to characterize what differentiate you and Giannoulias, what do you bring to the table that he doesn't? How would you draw a contrast between the two of you to people reading ChocolateCity.cc?

CJ: I share the experiences of most people fighting for economic security. Mr. Giannoulias comes from privilege. He is a political insider who has never fought in the trenches to get people jobs, save their homes or improve their education, as I have. And women need more than a vote, they need a voice in the U.S. Senate. Access to essential reproductive care wouldn’t be an issue in the health care debate if there were more women in the U.S. Senate.

CC: Had you been a U.S. Senator at the time of the recession, what would you have advocated that the federal government do in an effort to help America get out it?

I would have ensured that more TARP and stimulus funds we’re directed immediately to create jobs and promote small businesses – in fact, I called for this in an article in 2008.

CC: Do you support or oppose the used of taxpayers money being used to fund abortion procedures?

CJ: I believe all women have the right to essential reproductive health care, including those receiving federal subsidies. I will work to repeal the Hyde amendment to ensure poor women have the same rights as others.

CC: What are your views on the conflict between Israel and Palestine?

CJ: I believe Israel is a vital partner of the U.S. and deserves our support. I urge Both sides to continue peaceful negotiations toward a sustainable peace, and I condemn all terrorists acts.

CC: What comes to mind when you hear the following topics and do you care to comment on each – NAFTA, Iraq, Iran, and North Korea.

CJ: NAFTA –Free trade agreements are critical for the U.S. in the global economy. Exports are important to the Illinois economy. But our trade agreement like NAFTA must provide a level playing field and protect human rights, worker rights and the environment. We should consider reopening NAFTA to fix problems which have hurt workers in both the U.S. and Mexico.

North Korea: The U.S. must continue pressure on North Korea through the six-party talk process to stop and roll back its development of nuclear weapons.

CC: Would you have voted for Judge Sotomayor? Why or why not?

CJ: Yes. She is a highly qualified jurist who brings a needed perspective to the court.

CC: Do you support the use of nuclear energy? Why or why not?

CJ: We should not expand nuclear power but rather develop alternative energy sources to replace fossil fuels in the fight against global warming. But the key is to invest in the development of new energy sources that will address global warming, deliver affordable power, create new industries and jobs, and limit carbon emissions.

CC: Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says he has no immediate plans to lift the state's moratorium on the death penalty. Do you support the moratorium or should it be lifted?

CJ: Yes, until it can be established that the judicial system is functioning fairly and that key reforms are put in place, such as video-taped interrogations, for instance

CC: Which of the first 10 Amendments is your favorite?

CJ: The first amendment: freedom of speech, assembly and religion is the bedrock of American democracy.

CC: Illinois is seeing a numerical increase in the State's illegal “immigration-driven population growth” which is taking its toll on on the State. As a Senator, how would you address this immigration issue?

CJ: Everyone agrees that the immigration system is terribly broken, and we need to fix it. We need to deal with the estimated 12 million immigrants who are living and working here illegally. Doing nothing is not a solution.

-We must secure our borders

-We must punish employers who are undermining law-abiding competitors by hiring illegal workers at substandard wages.

-We need a plan that provides a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, one that requires them to pay their fair share of taxes as they work their way toward becoming Americans and would include a criminal background check.

This combination of measures is a common sense solution that will help us return to being both a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws.

CC: Ms. Jackson, thanks for you time and good luck.

To support Cheryle Robinson Jackson for Illinois U.S. Senate, please visit her website.