Rep. Danny Davis, Illinois Democrat, and Rep. Bobby Rush, Illinois Democrat, visited Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., Illinois Democrat, in Washington on Monday morning to see how the embattled Congressman Jackson Jr. was faring.
Rep. Jackson Jr, who is being treated for bipolar disorder, is to return to the Mayo Clinic for re-evaluation this week, his father, the Reverend Jesse Jackson told The Chicago Tribune.
“He’s having a lot of issues. He looks good, but he’s struggling,” said Congressman Rush after his visit to Rep. Jackson Jr..
Jackson is running for his ninth term this election cycle, and according to reports, his office did not publicly reveal he was on leave until he was already away for two weeks. The Associated Press reported on Saturday:
it initially refused to specify the nature of his illness or even say where he was. It was later revealed he had been hospitalized for treatment of bipolar disorder and gastrointestinal problems, first at a facility in Arizona and later at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
He was released in September and returned to the family’s home in Washington, but has yet to return to the campaign trail with barely two and a half weeks to go before Election Day.
Congressman Davis appeared optimistic about Jackson’s recovery saying, “I think he could definitely use some peace and quiet in a therapeutic environment where he’s not confronted with other kinds of things and just focus as much as possible on recovery. We had some light moments. I was very pleased to see that his mind, as far as I can determine, is intact. He is thinking, which is good. His hopes are high.”
While Davis and Rush said that Mr. Jackson’s health and family were paramount Congressman Davis did say, “I think that Representative Jesse Jackson still has a lot of decisions to make and I think he will make those, but the first decision is to make sure that he is healthy and able to function in this environment and I get the impression that that’s what he’s going to attempt to do.”
