Illinois congressional candidate acknowledges past domestic violence charge

Congressional candidate Willie Preston confronts domestic battery charged

  Now, a Fox Chicago Exclusive--  We've learned a candidate running for congress in Illinois has a domestic violence charge in his past. Democratic state senator Willie Preston confirms he made a mistake and slapped his then-girlfriend nearly 16 years ago, but he says it should not disqualify him from running for Congress.         He and his wife sat down with Fox Chicago's Dane Placko.

CHICAGO - If you or someone you know is the victim of domestic abuse, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. The free service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Every call is confidential, and you can be totally anonymous, if you'd like.

A candidate running for an open Illinois congressional seat has a charge of domestic violence in his background, FOX Chicago has learned. 

Democratic state Sen. Willie Preston confirmed details of a 2010 North Riverside police report made after he choked and slapped his then-girlfriend. Preston said the attack should not disqualify him from running for Congress.

What we know:

Preston is one of 11 Democrats running to fill Robin Kelly’s open 2nd Congressional District seat. He said he is not running away from his past.

"I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life. It was an isolated incident. Happened one time. I slapped my wife," Preston said. 

Preston spoke with FOX Chicago at his South Side home with his wife at his side. Brittany Preston was then Preston’s girlfriend when she called police on Feb. 12, 2010.

"My mom was a survivor of domestic abuse," she said. "I would never allow that to happen to me."

According to a police report obtained by FOX Chicago, North Riverside police responded to a disturbance at the North Riverside Mall and found Preston, his girlfriend Brittany Bailey and their three young children exiting the mall.

Bailey was crying, according to the report, which said, "Preston accused Bailey of being unfaithful and slapped her on the right side of her face with his open left hand. … Bailey stated while she was walking, Preston reached out and began to choke her on the back of her neck from behind. Bailey entered Sears to try to remain safe, where Preston entered the doors and slapped her a second time with his right open hand on the left side of her face."

Preston was charged with domestic battery, telling police, "I know I put my hands on her, now I gotta pay."

"I knew at the moment I did it I was wrong," Preston said this week. "And I took accountability immediately behind it."

Brittany Preston said she has forgiven him for the assault. 

"That’s something that was 16 years ago. Since then we have come so far with therapy, with counseling, with additional guidance," she said. 

Since that incident, the couple has married and had three more children. Preston said he understands raising his political profile also invites scrutiny of his past, which he recently revealed at a meeting of domestic abuse survivors.

"I did something I’m not proud of. I slapped my wife. I went to jail. The next day she came and bonded me out," Preston told the group in a video provided by his campaign. "For far too often men hide behind silence, behind shame, and just can’t stand here in good conscience and not admit what I have been a part of."

When asked whether the domestic abuse should be considered disqualifying for a congressional candidate, Preston said, "Well, look, if it’s disqualifying for some people, I respect that. For me, it’s not. We’re not just in the MeToo era. We’re in the affordability era. We’re in the era where people want authentic politicians."

Preston recently released a campaign commercial featuring an endorsement from Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon. The ad shows Preston and Gordon wearing boxing gloves while punching at issues on behalf of constituents.

Given the disclosures about Preston’s past, FOX Chicago asked whether the visuals accompanying the ad could be a mistake.

"Regrets? Oh no. It’s the best commercial in this political cycle," Preston said. "And again, it encompasses everything that this campaign stands for. It was authentic because I am a fighter in this congressional campaign."

It is a political fight his wife said she fully supports. "This is something that I am doing willingly, because I believe in him. I know he’s the right man for the job." 

She added that she declined to prosecute the case in 2010, and the domestic battery charge was dropped a month after it was filed.

What's next:

In addition to Gordon, Preston has received endorsements from a number of Chicago-area politicians. It is unclear whether they were aware of the domestic violence charge in his past.

Preston said he plans to stay in the race.

If you or someone you know is the victim of domestic abuse, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. The free service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Every call is confidential, and you can be totally anonymous, if you'd like.