The Senate race has seen some big-name national players making appearances in recent days. But now, word has come that Rev. Jesse Jackson made an endorsement before he passed away.
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton stumped in the Hyde Park neighborhood on Sunday afternoon at a veteran-owned bakery. She was joined by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who previously endorsed Stratton's campaign for U.S. Senate.
But it was Stratton's announcement that Jackson had endorsed her before he died that is stirring some last-minute campaign controversy. Stratton said she found out from Betty Magnus at Rainbow PUSH on Saturday.
"She kind of came over to me and said, I wanted you to know that Reverend Jackson, we all discussed this before he passed, and these are his endorsements. And it was a sheet of about 100 different people, but I was on the list for United States Senate," Stratton said.
At the South Side Irish Parade, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi shook hands with folks along Western Avenue. He is more than curious about the timing of the Jackson endorsement.
"I don't know if I'm going to be getting an endorsement from the grave. So, someone was saying they're looking through the history books to decide who should endorse me. But look, I think at this point again, I think ultimately, the endorsement that I seek is from the voters," Krishnamoorthi said.
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Congresswoman Robin Kelly held a "get out the vote" rally in Lakeview on Sunday afternoon. She was also caught by surprise about the endorsement list by Jackson and his son, Yusef, that included Stratton.
"You know, I've talked to a couple of his kids; they don't know anything about it. So, I don't know. It is what it is," Kelly said.
But for the candidates, it is all about the final days of the campaign and reaching as many voters as possible with voter turnout up from previous primaries.
"Again, two-and-a-half days. I need everybody. I need everybody's voice. I need you knocking, calling, whatever you can do if you can spare a little change. I need that, too," Kelly said.
"It's talking to people every single day, and I will be doing that until the polls close, to make sure they know how I want to give the people what they want," Stratton said.
There is no margin of error in the race to fill an open U.S. Senate seat, which does not happen very often.
"I've always said that this race is always going to be close, and so I got to just run as hard as I possibly can at this point," Krishnamoorthi said.
With all the money the candidates have spent in this race, along with all the outside millions from super PACs, what it could come down to is who is able to do the best job of getting their supporters to the polls between now and Tuesday.