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Savage was unsuccessful in his candidacy for the House of Representatives in 1968 and 1970, losing the Democratic primary both times, but won election to the House in 1980, representing the 2nd District on Chicago's South Side for 6 terms, from January 1981 to January 1993.

In 1989, Savage was accused of trying to force himself on a female Peace Corps worker in Zaire. He denied the allegations and blamed them on the "racist press." The House Ethics Committee decided that the events did indeed occur, but it did not take disciplinary action only because Savage wrote a letter of apology.

Savage had long been controversial even in his own district, never winning a primary election with more than 52% of the vote, and usually facing multiple challengers. For the 1992 election, his district had been extended further into Chicago's south suburbs by redistricting, and Savage faced Mel Reynolds, who had challenged him in the 1988 and 1990 primaries. Savage claimed that "racist Jews" were donating to Reynolds, while Reynolds claimed that Savage was involved in a drive-by shooting that injured him. Although Savage accused Reynolds of staging the shooting, he lost the 1992 election to Reynolds by a margin of 63%-37%.

Reynolds was unsuccessful in his 1988 and 1990 campaigns against Congressman Gus Savage. However, Reynolds defeated Savage in 1992 and served in the U.S House of Representatives from 1993 to 1995.

In August 1994, Reynolds was indicted for sexual assault and criminal sexual abuse for engaging in a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old campaign volunteer that began during the 1992 campaign. Despite the charges, he continued his campaign and was re-elected that November; he had no opposition. Reynolds initially denied the charges, which he claimed were racially motivated. On August 22, 1995, he was convicted on 12 counts of sexual assault, obstruction of justice and solicitation of child pornography. He resigned his seat on October 1 of that year.

Reynolds was sentenced to five years in prison, thus he expected to be released in 1998. However, in April 1997 he was convicted on 15 unrelated counts of bank fraud and lying to SEC investigators. These charges resulted in an additional sentence of 78 months in federal prison. Reynolds served all of his first sentence, and served 42 months in prison for the later charges. At that point, President Bill Clinton commuted the sentence for bank fraud. As a result, Reynolds was released from prison and served the remaining time in a halfway house.

And in the news today: Former U.S. Rep. Melvin Jay Reynolds, a once rising star in the Democratic Party who resigned from his seat after he was convicted of statutory rape, has been arrested in Zimbabwe on suspicion of possessing pornography, as well as on an immigration offense.

Jesse Louis Jackson, Jr. (born March 11, 1965) is a former American politician who represented Illinois's 2nd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 until his resignation in 2012.

In October 2012, federal prosecutors and FBI agents in Washington, D.C. investigated Jackson for alleged financial improprieties, including possible misuse of campaign funds. Sixteen days after being re-elected to another term, Jackson resigned effective on November 21, 2012, citing his health problems and acknowledging the ethics investigations.

Jackson and wife Sandi signed plea agreements in early February 2013. Jackson, Jr. agreed to plead guilty to charges of fraud, conspiracy, making false statements, mail fraud, wire fraud, and criminal forfeiture—having used about $750,000 in campaign money for over 3000 personal purchases that included a Michael Jackson fedora and cashmere capes.

The Justice Department filed the charges on February 15, 2013, and Jackson pleaded guilty on February 20, 2013 to one count of wire and mail fraud in connection with his misuse of $750,000 of campaign funds. On June 7, 2013, federal prosecutors indicated that they sought a four-year prison sentence for Jackson, Jr. On August 14, 2013, Jackson was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.

Robin Lynne Kelly (born April 30, 1956) is an American politician from Illinois who has served as the U.S. Representative for Illinois's 2nd congressional district since 2013.

Chizzang wrote:The only thing different here is - they keep getting caught...
Otherwise I don't really see them as any different than like 90% of what we have in congress

I'm not suggesting they are quality representatives
But I also don't necessarily think they are much different than what we have all over the place

Chizzang wrote:The only thing different here is - they keep getting caught...
Otherwise I don't really see them as any different than like 90% of what we have in congress

I'm not suggesting they are quality representatives
But I also don't necessarily think they are much different than what we have all over the place

AZGrizFan wrote:

Chizzang wrote:The only thing different here is - they keep getting caught...
Otherwise I don't really see them as any different than like 90% of what we have in congress

I'm not suggesting they are quality representatives
But I also don't necessarily think they are much different than what we have all over the place

Oh, I don't know. I think the 2nd District of Illinois might have set the bar significantly higher than any other district...I mean three STRAIGHT reps going to prison....

Chizzang wrote:

AZGrizFan wrote:
Oh, I don't know. I think the 2nd District of Illinois might have set the bar significantly higher than any other district...I mean three STRAIGHT reps going to prison....

that is impressive

Chizzang wrote:

AZGrizFan wrote:
Oh, I don't know. I think the 2nd District of Illinois might have set the bar significantly higher than any other district...I mean three STRAIGHT reps going to prison....

that is impressive

AZGrizFan wrote:

Chizzang wrote:
that is impressive

34 fricking YEARS without an honest politician from that district. Seriously, that's something to be proud of. She's got a hell of a set of shoes to fill...

BDKJMU wrote:

AZGrizFan wrote:
34 fricking YEARS without an honest politician from that district. Seriously, that's something to be proud of. She's got a hell of a set of shoes to fill...

34 years What kind of idiot voters make up that district?

BDKJMU wrote:

AZGrizFan wrote:
34 fricking YEARS without an honest politician from that district. Seriously, that's something to be proud of. She's got a hell of a set of shoes to fill...

34 years What kind of idiot voters make up that district?

Cap'n Cat wrote:And, of course, you're gonna pull a Limbaugh and hope she fails, right Z?

houndawg wrote:

Chizzang wrote:
that is impressive

meh. Routine.

We have enough governors and Congressmen in jail to have their own poker game.

AZGrizFan wrote:

houndawg wrote:
meh. Routine.

We have enough governors and Congressmen in jail to have their own poker game.

Illinois certainly sets the bar high in that area, doesn't it?

HI54UNI wrote:

BDKJMU wrote:
34 years What kind of idiot voters make up that district?

Self explanatory - Illinois donks.

Former Rep. Mel Reynolds is expected to be freed and deported from Zimbabwe as early as Tuesday after pornography charges were dropped Friday and he pleaded guilty to a visa violation.

Reynolds' lawyer, Arthur Gurira, said his client remained in jail in the southern African country but could be released Tuesday or Wednesday after immigration authorities complete deportation paperwork.

“The papers are being processed,” Gurira said. “Once that's done, he'll be free.”

November 2012: Reynolds' U.S. House bid
January 2001: Bill Clinton grants clemency, frees Reynolds
August 1995: Reynolds guilty of child pornography, obstruction, sexual abuse, sexual assault
Mel Reynolds

Asked if Reynolds would be bound for Chicago, the lawyer said: “I wouldn't know.”

The disgraced Illinois ex-congressman denied charges he was found with nude pictures and videos of women and men having sexual intercourse on his mobile phone. The count was an alleged violation of Zimbabwe's Censorship and Entertainments Control Act, according to Gurira, and carried a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine. Pornography is banned in Zimbabwe.