Arrested Ill. rep defies calls to step down

By KAREN HAWKINS
Associated Press

The old saying goes that in Chicago, even the dead can vote, and as
the recent primary election proves, even the arrested can get elected.

One week after facing a federal bribery charge, incumbent state Rep.
Derrick Smith won the Democratic primary in his diverse Chicago
district by a landslide, garnering nearly 77 percent of the vote.
While Democratic leaders are calling on Smith to step down amid a
newly opened House investigation, his supporters say he's innocent
until proven guilty and should be given a chance to keep his seat as
he fights his case.