Bloomberg to dump $2M into Chicago race to defeat gun advocate Halvorson

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has taken the gun fight to Chicago and is poised to spend $2 million in an attempt to defeat former Rep. Debbie Halvorson in her bid for the U.S. House seat vacated by disgraced Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr.

Most of the mayor’s super PAC cash has financed an air war against Mrs. Halvorson, a one-term Democratic congresswoman and longtime state legislator with an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association, Politico reports.

A Bloomberg adviser told Politico that the mayor, an independent, made the decision to spend the money “without blinking.”

“The fact that it’s a special election, the fact that it’s in the middle of a national debate over the president’s plan … [there is an] understanding that it’s both a bellwether and a harbinger.”

Mrs. Halvorson now favors universal background checks and other gun-control measures, but the mayor is determined to derail her candidacy. His super PAC already has spent more than what any of the 17 Democratic candidates have raised themselves.

Mr. Jackson resigned in November after reports he was being treated for bipolar disorder. His attorneys say Mr. Jackson will plead guilty to charges that he misappropriated $750,000 in campaign funds. Mr. Jackson’s wife, Sandi, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of filing false joint federal income tax returns.

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