Jesse Jackson Jr. puts DC home up for sale

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has put his District of Columbia home up for sale, citing the rising costs of healthcare amid his treatment for a severe mood disorder.

Jackson’s Washington home — a four-bedroom row-house on a tree-lined street in the posh Dupont Circle neighborhood — is listed for $2.5 million. 

The Illinois Democrat left Capitol Hill very quietly in mid-June, revealing only two months later that he was in treatment for bipolar II disorder, a brain disease characterized by drastic swings between mania and depression. 

His office initially said he’d taken leave for “exhaustion,” and news of the much more serious diagnosis spurred questions about whether the nine-term Democrat would stick around to see a 10th.

Jackson’s office has insisted all summer he’s running for reelection in November, but the news has spurred speculation about whether those plans have changed.

Jackson’s office issued a brief statement Wednesday saying rising healthcare costs forced Jackson to put the home on the market.

“Like millions of Americans, Congressman Jackson and Mrs. Jackson are grappling with soaring healthcare costs and are selling their residence to help defray costs of their obligations,” said Rick Bryant, Jackson’s chief of staff. “The congressman would like to personally thank everyone who has offered prayers on behalf of his family.”

After leaving Capitol Hill in June, Jackson sought treatment at a facility in Arizona and the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota before returning earlier this month to Washington, where he has yet to make an appearance on Capitol Hill.

The news was first reported Wednesday morning by Lauren Victoria Burke, who runs the Crew of 42 blog, a blog focused on members of the Congressional Black Caucus. She also is a freelance photographer for The Hill.

— Updated at 9 p.m.

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