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<H1 class=title>Gun control supporter wins Dem primary for Jackson Jr. House
seat</H1></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=author>By Cameron Joseph </SPAN>- <SPAN class=date>02/26/13
09:11 PM ET </SPAN></DIV>
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<P>Gun control supporter Robin Kelly (D) cruised to victory over former Rep.
Debbie Halvorson (D-Ill.), who favors gun rights, on Tuesday in the Democratic
primary to replace former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), giving supporters of
new gun-control laws a big win in Illinois at a key moment in their battle.</P>
<P></P>
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led Halvorson 56 percent to 20 percent with 60 percent of precincts reporting.
Halvorson has called Kelly to concede the race.
<P></P>
<P>A Halvorson win would have dealt a major blow to advocates of increased gun
regulations Early on, a crowded field and Halvorson's high name identification
in the district made that appear possible. But a combination of heavy spending
against Halvorson, efforts by top Democrats to clear the field for Kelly and
Halvorson’s own inability to raise any money or run much of a campaign led to
her defeat.</P>
<P>Kelly, a former Cook County administrator who started out with little name
recognition in the race, was aided greatly by more than $2 million in spending
against Halvorson by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s (I) super-PAC. She
also had help from many in Chicago’s Democratic establishment, including some
close allies of President Obama.</P>
<P>Kelly's primary win all but guarantees her a spot in Congress in the heavily
Democratic 2nd District.</P>
<P>In her victory speech, Kelly said voters sent a message that tells the
National Rifle Association (NRA) "that their days of holding our country hostage
are coming to an end. And their days of scaring Congress into submission on gun
control are coming to a close."</P>
<P>The seat was left open when Jackson resigned late last year due to serious
legal and ethics problems. He has since pleaded guilty to using hundreds of
thousands of dollars in campaign funds for personal use, and is likely headed to
jail.</P>
<P>Gun control advocates were quick to claim a win — and argued that gun control
can be a salient issue nationwide.</P>
<P>"This is an important victory for common sense leadership on gun violence, a
problem that plagues the whole nation. And it's the latest sign that voters
across the country are demanding change from their representatives in Washington
— not business as usual,” Bloomberg said in a statement released by his
super-PAC, Independence USA. “As Congress considers the President's gun package,
voters in Illinois have sent a clear message: we need common sense gun
legislation now. Now it's up to Washington to act." </P>
<P>The big spending by Bloomberg — and efforts by some other Democratic
super-PACs including CREDO — show that the NRA no longer is the only
deep-pocketed organization focused on the issue. While Bloomberg’s group claimed
some wins in 2012, this is first time since the Newtown, Conn., shootings put
gun control in the national spotlight that it has been tested at the ballot
box.</P>
<P>Bloomberg outspent all of the candidates — combined — leaving a big mark on
the race. Another big factor: Chicago’s Democratic establishment also rallied
hard to support Kelly, whose campaign chairwoman, Cheryl Whitaker, is a close
friend of the Obamas.</P>
<P>Chicago’s two African-American congressmen, Democratic Reps. Danny Davis and
Bobby Rush, endorsed Kelly. She also had the backing of Rep. Jan Schakowsky
(D-Ill.), who is close to both Obama and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
(D-Calif.), and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel worked quietly behind the scenes to
clear the field and stop Halvorson, according to sources.</P>
<P>That institutional support for Kelly helped convince a number of other
African-American politicians to drop out of the race, including Illinois state
Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D), who then threw her support to Kelly. Hutchinson’s
decision all but guaranteed a win for Kelly in the race.</P>
<P>Halvorson, the only white candidate in this election, was endorsed by the NRA
in her losing 2010 reelection bid. She ran against Jackson in the 2012
Democratic primary and held to 29 percent of the vote then — a mark she appears
to have failed to reach in this election.</P>
<P>The election comes at a key time in the debate over gun control. The Senate
is set to begin marking up new legislation later in the week, and its prospects
appear uncertain — especially a renewed ban on assault weapons that Obama
supports.</P>
<P>While a Democratic primary in a heavily African-American Chicago-based
district that has been racked by gun control isn’t the best barometer of the
national mood, the margin of Kelly’s victory could be a warning to Democrats who
oppose new gun control measures — and possibly some suburban Republicans as
well.</P></DIV>
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