In arguably the most bizarre Illinois primary race, 10th District State Rep. Derrick Smith soundly defeated challenger Tom Swiss, but now Illinois House Republicans want a special committee to investigate Smith, who federal agents arrested on bribery charges last week. Capitol Fax reports that House Republican Leader Tom Cross wants a House Special Investigative Committee to further investigate what federal agents have already looked into. Meanwhile, according to Capitol Fax, Smith's assistant could not locate her boss: Smith has an "excused absence" from the Illinois House today.

Smith beat challenger Tom Swiss 77 percent to 23 percent, exactly a week after his arrest. Swiss, though, was also not without controversy. Swiss, who is white, sent out mailers in the predominantly black district that featured black male construction workers, and in one case, a black woman on the phone apparently swooning over the candidate.

Swiss believes that federal charges against Smith may have actually helped the state lawmaker. He told the Sun-Times that stories about Smith's arrest were like "hundreds of thousands of dollars" in free advertising. Smith is accused of taking a $7,000 bribe.