[2] Jackson established a consistent liberal record on both social and fiscal issues,[3] and he has co-authored books on civil rights and personal finance.

[18] Jackson enrolled in North Carolina A&T University, his father's alma mater,[13] earning his Bachelor of Science degree magna cum laude in 1987.

[56] In 2001, the Federal Election Commission ruled that Jackson could hire his wife on his campaign payroll as long as she was paid no more than the fair market value for her services.

The claim was that they selected 68-year-old retired Robbins truck driver, Jesse L. Jackson, as an opponent in order to confuse voters and derail the congressman's re-election campaign.

Jackson asked a Cook County court to question the Shaws and others under oath, but his effort was rejected and no criminal wrongdoing was found.

[30] After being elected, Jackson attempted to parlay his popularity into a seat on the United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, using the leverage of his ability to perform voter registration drives.

[66][79] On January 6, 2001, Jackson and other members of the House of Representatives objected to counting the 25 electoral votes from Florida which George W. Bush narrowly won after a contentious recount.

[81] In 2005, Jackson sponsored a bill for the creation and acquisition of a life-size statue of Rosa Parks to be placed in Statuary Hall at the United States Capitol.

[90] In 2007, he has also co-sponsored (along with Roy Blunt), legislation providing nearly $1 million to each family that lost someone to the al-Qaida activities in the 1998 United States embassy bombings.

Although only two years earlier he spoke of Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi in glowing terms, he could not support the late-September version of the legislation she was proposing because he felt it contained inadequate homeowner protections.

[105] He later expressed concerns in a New York Times op-ed article about the implications that the eventual bill had on enfranchisement due to the lack of protections for homeowners as it relates to voting rights.

[114] In October 2012, federal prosecutors and FBI agents in Washington, D.C., investigated Jackson for alleged financial improprieties, including possible misuse of campaign funds.

[115][116] 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.

[128] Nevertheless, Jackson indicated he would persuade liberal voters unenthusiastic about Gore to support the Democratic ticket, rather than Green Party nominee Ralph Nader.

[133] After making a formal announcement in 2006 with a press conference, Jackson was considered a strong potential candidate to oppose Daley in the municipal election on February 27, 2007.

[133] On November 8, 2006, Jackson reported that he would not pursue a 2007 mayoral campaign in Chicago: ... as you know Democrats are now poised to take control of the Congress for the first time in my eleven-year career.

'"[146] During the campaign, he described Obama as the first "successor" of Martin Luther King Jr. to use the thoughtful and careful approach to language to frame social debate in a way that is unlikely to alienate whites and noted his ability to get various factions to agree with him and his political positions.

[156] Other contenders included Danny Davis, Jan Schakowsky, Tammy Duckworth, Emil Jones Jr., Kwame Raoul, Dan Hynes, and Lisa Madigan,[155] while other sources also mentioned Luis Gutierrez and Melissa Bean.

[162] However, in an internal report filed by Obama legal advisor Greg Craig, "Obama authorized Emanuel to pass on the names of four people he considered to be highly qualified to take over his seat – Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes, Illinois Veterans' Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth, Rep. Jan Schakowsky and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr."[163] On November 27, 2008, Blagojevich hinted that Davis might be his choice.

[168] On December 10, Jackson was contacted by federal prosecutors for questioning with regard to the scandal involving Governor Blagojevich's search for a replacement.

[171][172] Immediately thereafter, in his own news conference, Jackson confirmed that he is a subject and not a target of the investigation and emphatically stated his opposition to "pay to play" politics.

[178] However, reports that Jackson has been a longtime federal information provider has led political allies to continue to speak of his viability as a candidate.

[190] The book was published, at a time when public opposition to the death penalty was at a historically high level, by two of America's most prominent civil rights leaders.

[194][195] In addition to the analysis, it provides eight proposed constitutional amendments that Jackson sees as essential to pursuit of broader social and economic opportunity.

[197] During the 1988 presidential campaign, Jackson met his future wife, Sandi Stevens, who was press secretary for United States Congressman Mickey Leland.

[50][133] He often enjoys these hobbies in bipartisan friendships that include Dick Armey and regarded the late Republican Rep. Henry Hyde as one of his closest friends.

[204] The relationship traces back to when Jackson Sr. and United States President-Elect George H. W. Bush met to discuss a range of issues while Jackson Jr. and his siblings Santita and Jonathan had an hour-and-a-half luncheon with future President George W.[205] He also developed a relationship with Bill and Hillary Clinton that enabled him to watch Super Bowl XXXIII at Camp David with them.

He stated that Jackson described having undergone a duodenal switch medical procedure that his sister, Santita, had used to lose 200 pounds (90.7 kg; 14.3 st) over several years.

In 2006, when Jackson became a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, Nu Pi chapter, the Illinois House of Representatives issued a congratulatory resolution to his father.

"[216] After weeks of the public's not knowing where the Congressman was, his office announced on July 27, 2012, that he was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, undergoing an extensive inpatient evaluation for depression and for gastrointestinal issues.