Chicago Congressman Jonathan Jackson says he should be next Democratic National Committee chair

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Democratic National Convention put Chicago in the center of the political spotlight last fall, but DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison announced he would not seek a new term, opening the door for new leadership.

Congressman Jonathan Jackson, son of famed civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson, believes he would be a good replacement.

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"I've been involved in campaigns, actually, for the last 40 years, since 1984 to 2024, I've seen the growth of the party. I've seen the change of the parties. I've got a lot of relationships across the country," Jackson said.

Jackson said some other members of Congress encouraged him to run. But he also said frustration over the party's efforts to help Vice President Kamala Harris is a motivation.

"But I started seeing the wheels come off of the of the cart, if you will, during the presidential election," Jackson said.

He said the party needs a 50-state strategy, and in this last election, a number of southern states were just ignored as Republican strongholds. And then, there were the swing states.

"When we lost Michigan, lost Ohio, lost Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, like, how? Republicans have now invaded. This is like that carp species is coming out of the Illinois River. It's just wrong. It's invasive," Jackson said.

Jackson said this afternoon he planned to call Gov. JB Pritzker, who many expect will run for president and would be a good ally.

Political strategist DelMarie Cobb is not sure if that would make much difference though this late in the game.

"Certainly, he is a major fundraiser for the Democratic Party, and so I'm sure he can weigh in on it and tell people to give Jonathan Jackson second look if they haven't made up their minds and committed themselves already," Cobb said.

The time is short for Jackson to line up support if his campaign is to be taken seriously. Members of the Democratic National Committee will vote on the next chairperson on Feb. 1.