Bloomberg fights NRA in Ill. election

• Tweet

CHICAGO, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has gotten involved in a Chicago-area congressional race with ads attacking a candidate who has opposed gun control.

The mayor, currently an independent, has created the Independence USA SuperPAC, and sources told Politico the group plans to spend $2 million on the special election to replace former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, D-Ill. The PAC has taken aim at Debbie Halvorson, a veteran former state legislator who has already served one term in Congress, and who has an A rating with the National Rifle Association.

The district is heavily Democratic but is split between the largely black South Side of Chicago and rural, mostly white, areas. Halvorson is the only white candidate in the Democratic primary Feb. 25 and had been leading the crowded field of 17 candidates.

Robin Kelly, a state legislator, has become the choice of those who want to stop Halvorson, including Bloomberg, and has moved up in the polls.

Devora Kaye, a spokeswoman for Bloomberg's PAC, said the mayor hopes to show the NRA can be challenged.

"We must and we will continue to be aggressive in informing voters across the country about the necessity of electing leaders who will stand up to the NRA and help pass the president's gun reform package," she said.