The lone Republican running for Jesse Jackson Jr.’s House seat in Illinois has a North Carolina tie-in. He’s waged two unsuccessful campaigns in the Tar Heel State. Not surprisingly for a Republican running in a staunchly Democratic district, he takes some unorthodox positions, according to the Daily Caller:

The lone Republican in the race to succeed the disgraced former Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. isn’t a typical GOP candidate. He supports affirmative action — “for at least one more generation.” He won’t agree to anti-tax pledges in the face of the fiscal cliff. He spoke against voter ID laws this year during an NAACP press conference. And he’s no fan of efforts to roll back Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.

But in a sea of Democratic rivals — about 12 so far — and in a Chicago political scene that favors liberal politics, Lenny McAllister just might fit right in.

Democrats on Chicago’s South Side have held on to the 2nd Congressional District seat for more than a half-century. The last Republican to win in that part of the state did it in 1950.

McAllister has no legislative experience, and he has never won an election. He ran in two local races, losing each time, in North Carolina.