Uncertainty over Rep. Jackson's absence

CHICAGO -- His home in Washington is for sale. His wife says he'll come back to work only when a doctor approves. He vowed to return to the campaign by Labor Day, and then didn't.

Election Day is five weeks away, and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. remains out of sight.

It's an absence, both from his job in Congress and his campaign, that's starting to test patience in his Chicago hometown.

More than three months have passed since Jackson, a 47-year-old Democrat first elected in 1995, dropped out of public sight. It was later revealed that the son of civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson was hospitalized for severe depression and gastrointestinal problems. There have been few updates on his condition and no answers to questions about his future.

Jackson's name remains on the ballot, even though he's yet to make a campaign appearance since last spring's primary. His wife, Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson, insists she won't step in to take his place.

"You ask anyone in this district, which one of them could take 90 days off of work?" said Jackson's Republican opponent, Brian Woodworth. The college professor is running in a mostly South Side district that's heavily Democratic. "Voters should be paying attention to this," Woodworth said.

Jackson returned to his Washington home this month after leaving the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. He started a medical leave June 10, but his staff only announced it two weeks later and didn't initially disclose where he was or the illness from which he was suffering.

Replacing Jackson on the ballot gets messy this close to Election Day. Ballots with Jackson's name have been mailed to troops overseas. That means that in a close election, the courts may have to determine if a vote for Jackson would be counted for the replacement or thrown out.

If Jackson were to step down in the next few weeks, the Democratic Party chairmen in the three counties he represents would have eight days to pick a replacement.