The spotlight is on two West Side races in the March 19 primary. In the heated race for incumbent Danny K. Davis’ seat – a district that includes much of the West Side and west suburban Oak Park and Forest Park – all eyes will be on ethics and age. He and challenger Melissa Conyears-Ervin both have come under fire in the past year for alleged ethics violations. Davis, one of the oldest members in Congress, has been criticized for holding on too long. Mayor Brandon Johnson’s former Cook County commissioner seat, too, is up for grabs. Will it go with party-backed Tara Stamps, who was appointed as an interim, or activist Zerlina A. Smith-Members?
Here’s what to know about the elections, the candidates and where and how to vote.
Who is running?
Federal
U.S. House of Representatives, 7th District
Two-year term
Melissa Conyears-Ervin
The Chicago City Treasurer and former state representative officially announced that she was running earlier this year amid allegations of unethical conduct. In Springfield, according to her biography, she passed bills to provide more funding for affordable childcare and new, more equitable funding for Chicago Public Schools. She co-founded the Democratic Women’s Caucus. In a 2020 letter, Tiffany Harper, Conyears-Ervin’s former chief of staff, and Ashley Evans, another city treasurer employee, said that they were fired in retaliation after they questioned what they described as the abuse of power. The city settled with the ex-employees. Conyears-Ervin has denied the allegations. However, an Office of Inspector General investigation found this was a case of retaliation and the Chicago Board of Ethics ratified the findings Nov. 13. She can contest the results. Conyears-Ervin has served as a state representative for the West Side-based 10th District before she resigned in 2019 to run for city treasurer. She won a three-way race, then ran unopposed in 2022.
Danny K. Davis
Davis, a powerful, revered politician, has held the House of Representatives seat since 1997. He announced last June that he would run for reelection in what is expected to be a hotly contested primary. In the 118th Congress, Davis was reappointed to the powerful Committee on Ways and Means and is the Subcommittee Ranking Member of the Worker and Family Support Subcommittee. He serves on several Congressional Caucuses, including the Congressional Black Caucus, the Progressive Caucus, the Congressional Equity Caucus, the Urban Caucus, the Community Health Center’s Caucus, the Congressional Sugar Caucus, the Congressional Caucus on Black Men and Boys, and Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Re-entry. He is a former educator, community organizer and civil rights advocate. He is known for his work on healthcare and criminal justice reform. During the Obama administration, he signed the Second Chance Act that provides transitional assistance to ex-offenders coping with the challenges of re-entering public life. According to The Intercept, he is facing scrutiny in connection with using Congressional funds to buy campaign advertising. He has denied the allegations. Despite his record, Davis, at 82, is being accused by his opponents of being out of touch with his constituency.
Kouri Marshall
This is Marshall’s first run for office. He worked on former President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, for former First District Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin and for Gov. J.B. Pritzker. He has served as the executive director of Democratic GAIN, a membership association for politically progressive professionals, and he co-founded ChiGivesBack, a nonprofit that organizes fundraisers for other charitable programs. He now serves as a director of state and local public policy for the Chamber of Progress, a trade organization for technology companies. Marshall told Austin Weekly News last year that he respected Davis’ decades of service but added that his campaign was about the future. “I think it’s time for the congressman to pass the torch,” he said. “There’s a strong appetite for change, and if there had not been, I wouldn’t have put a hat in the ring.”
Nikhil Bhatia
Bhatia, an Indian American, is a math teacher in Grand Crossing and an elected Local School Council member at Galileo Scholastic Academy. “I have spent my entire career in urban education, but the obstacles all of our kids face — underfunded schools, gun violence, climate change, and rolling back rights for women and LGBTQ students — are overwhelming,” he said in a statement on his LinkedIn page. “We need a solution that goes well beyond the classroom. And to do that, we need to change who we are sending to Washington. Change can’t wait.”
Kina Collins
This is her third consecutive challenge to Davis. In the 2020 primary, Collins, who is from Austin, picked up only about 14% of the vote. But in the 2022 rematch, she garnered nearly 46% of the vote in a direct threat to Davis. In 2017, Collins formed the Chicago Neighborhood Alliance to empower activists to end gun violence in Chicago. According to her campaign, she co-authored the Illinois Council on Women and Girls Act and served as the inaugural chairwoman of a council that stemmed from that effort. During the 2019 Chicago aldermanic election, Collins helped form a coalition of organizations called Brand New Council, which aimed to elect progressive candidates of color to the city’s council.
State
State Representatives
Two-year terms
State Representative, 8th District
La Shawn K. Ford is running unopposed.
State Representative, 78th District
Camille Lilly, assistant majority leader, is running unopposed.
County Commissioner, 1st District
Unexpired 2-Year Term
Tara Stamps
Stamps, a community activist and Chicago Teachers Union member, was selected to take Brandon Johnson’s seat after he was elected mayor in 2023. The district spans the city and the suburbs, including Austin, Oak Park, Forest Park, Maywood and Bellwood. Stamps is a former teacher and now serves as an administrator of new teacher development for the CTU. She is the daughter of activist Marion Stamps. Stamps challenged Ald. Emma Mitts in 2015 and 2019.
Zerlina A. Smith-Members
Smith-Members, of Austin, is a community activist and victim services coordinator for Together Chicago, a non-profit agency that helps victims of crime and people in need who live in the Garfield Park and Austin communities. She is a founding member of the Good Neighbors Campaign (part of Westside Health Authority), a member of The Leaders Network, former secretary of Columbus Park Advisory Council, former chairperson of Saucedo Scholastic Academy Local School Council and a violence prevention specialist to create neighborhood safety strategies. Smith-Members also served as the Illinois regional director for Jill Stein in the 2016 presidential campaign.
Why does it matter?
What the West Side Congressional race comes down to, said political consultant Delmarie Cobb, is age.
“Ageism is at the top of the ticket,” she said – ironic, considering that’s also the issue with this year’s presidential election.
What most people in the largely progressive district aren’t looking at is that Davis is one of the most progressive leaders and has been pushing for related issues for a long time, she said.
“So, you have someone who is a longtime progressive but who is older. So voters will have to decide whether they want someone who is older — if that what the major issue is – or a progressive who is younger.”
But the difference is the candidate’s record. Choosing someone younger is fine, she said. “But voters have to decide whether they want someone who has a record of progressive actions and record of fighting for everyday working people.”
In terms of the state legislature, many, like Ford and Lilly, are running unopposed.
“I think that does everybody a disservice,” she said. “Everyone should be challenged. When you’re challenged, you put your record on the line. You have to hold something up to voters and say this is what I’ve done. Why I’m the best and you need to re-elect me.”
Holding office, she added, is not an “entitlement.” “You have to earn every vote,” she said.
As for the county commissioner race, a candidate’s record will speak loudly, too.
“Again, this comes down to do you want a progressive who may still be new to office, but has a record of standing up and organizing for everyday working families, or do you want a first-time elected official who you’re hoping will do the right thing?”
Where to vote
Early voting in Downtown Chicago begins Thursday, Feb. 15 at 9 a.m. at 191 N. Clark St. and at 69 W. Washington St.
Early voting in Chicago’s wards begins Monday, March 4 at 9 a.m.
Nearby locations include:
- West Side Learning Center
4624 W. Madison St.
- Amundsen Park
6200 W. Bloomingdale Ave.
You can also vote by mail. Learn more at https://chicagoelections.gov/voting/vote-mail