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Credit: Chicago Tribune Former Democratic congressman Mel Reynolds from Illinois' second district is making another go at winning a seat in the US House of Representatives. He is looking to replace Democrat Jesse Jackson Jr, who resigned on November 21, 2012. Reynolds will run for the same seat he occupied from January 3, 1993, to October 1, 1995. This time, however, he is running after being convicted of statutory rape of a 16-year-old campaign volunteer and receiving a commutation by former

Credit: Cancer Cure Illinois could be the latest state to legalize medical marijuana. In past attempts, the bill’s passage was approved in the Illinois Senate, only to be stymied upon its arrival in the House. However, State Representative Lou Lang – longtime advocate for legalization – has supposedly garnered enough votes to get both Senate and House approval, potentially making medical marijuana a reality in Illinois. A vote on the measure was scheduled for this past week, before Lang decide

Credit: Chicago Tribune Jesse Jackson Jr. has submitted his resignation from Congress. The Illinois congressman resigns amid allegations and health concerns, since being the subject of a House Ethics Committee's investigation pertaining to the misappropriation of campaign funds for personal use and his alleged role in the "pay-to-play" scheme hatched by ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich to sell off Barack Obama's senate seat. Shortly after the investigation was made public, Jackson took a leave of a

(Credit: ww2.votemccarter.com) While much of the post-election attention has gone to the condition of the national Republican Party and the reasons for its losses, in at least one state, the party may be considering a shake-up. In a state that typically awards its electoral votes to Democrats, Illinois' US congressional delegation was headed by Republicans, who held an 11-8 advantage. After Election Day 2012, Democrats will hold the edge 12-6, with the consolidation of one district through the

(Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) Democrats in Illinois made huge gains in the US House of Representatives last week. Four GOP incumbents were unseated by their Democratic challengers. In addition, two other Democratic candidates -- one already under indictment; the other, still pending -- easily defeated their opposition in what many across the country have called a mockery of the voting process. In a race held steadily in the national spotlight, Democratic challenger Tammy Duckworth defeate

of all US Senators are up for re-election. Every two years approximately one-third 1. Max Baucus (Montana) Baucus is the longest-serving US Senator in the history of Montana, having first won election in 1978. He has voted to allow concealed carry and was a major player in the passage of the Affordable Care Act. 2. Mark Begich (Alaska) Begich is the former mayor of Anchorage and defeated Ted Stevens in 2008, the longest-serving Republican US Senator in history. In his term in the Senate,

Credit: Amber Waterman Angus King has won the Maine Senate race, signaling a party change in the state and an additional Independent Senator in office. The election was called by CNN at 5:19 pm Pacific. Maine offered an interesting race as 6 candidates were running for Senator Olympia Snowe's open seat. The top three candidates to watch in the election were former governor and Independent candidate Angus King, Democratic Senator Cynthia Dill, and Republican Secretary of State Charlie Summers.

I was truly inspired by Obama when he emerged on the national political scene as a presidential candidate promising real hope and change. Healthcare reform, increased transparency, ending the war in Iraq, limiting the influence of special interest groups, ending the use of torture, closing Guantanamo Bay, cutting the deficit, and revising the Patriot Act; the complete opposite of what George Bush seemed to represent. Obama once stated, "transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of

[Update 5:20 PM PST] Independent candidate Angus King is projected, by CNN, to win the Senate seat in Maine. -- [Update 5:15 PM PST] In Ohio, 1.8 million voters cast their ballot early or by absentee ballot. It could still be some time before we know a victory. CNN projects Georgia will go to Mitt Romney. In Florida, over half of the precincts are reporting a very slight lead for Romney now. This is the first time the GOP candidate has taken the lead tonight. His lead is 52-47. -- [Updat

There is a widely-held perception that the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are drastically different in their policy, proposals, philosophy of government, and general modus operandi. While there are certainly some significant differences between the two parties, the number of similarities