Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. will officially launch his campaign for the 2nd Congressional District Wednesday to honor his father’s 84th birthday.

In a video, Jackson Jr. says he chose the date to honor “a man who inspired my life to public service. A man who blessed me with his name.” He also references Rev. Jesse Jackson’s 1984 Democratic National Convention speech and says his father’s historic speech made him want to run for office, and has resonated with him on his own “journey toward redemption.”

“In that speech, my father said, ‘If in my low moments in word, deed, or attitude’ — and I might add judgment — ‘through some error of temper, taste or tone, I’ve caused anyone discomfort, created pain, or revived someone’s fears, that was not my truest self.’” Jackson Jr. recites in

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