Dianne Wilkerson letter on behalf of her son, Cornell MillsFormer State Senator Dianne Wilkerson made an impassioned plea on behalf of her son Cornell Mills in an eleventh-hour letter delivered to voters in District 7 on Monday. In the letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Reporter this evening, Wilkerson said she had "stayed out of the race until now because I wanted to give Cornell the chance to make his own case, on his own, for why he believes he is worthy of your vote."

Wilkerson was sentenced to a prison term of three-and-a-half years in prison last month after her 2010 conviction on bribery and extortion charges. Wilkerson is due to report to federal prison in March.

In her endorsement of Mills, one of her two adult sons, Wilkerson closed with the following paragraph:

"We've been blessed in D7 with a tradition of bold and effective leadership with Bruce Bolling, Tony Crayton, and Chuck Turner. Cornell is ready to continue that legacy. He'll compromise where possible and fight when necessary. I know you will agree we need a fighter to replace the fighter. Right after I and Chuck were set upon, Cornell came to me and said he wanted to change his last name to Wilkerson so everyone would know he's my son. I told him that I was humbled by his gesture but it wasn't necessary. That says a lot about his character. Besides, he couldn't deny me if he wanted to because he looks just like me. He's been preparing for this for a long time and he's ready. I ask that you give him your vote on February 15."