Incumbent Danny Davis came out far ahead in the race for 7th District, securing 30 years of holding the title “Congressman” after completing his next term.
And detractors thought he was too old.
Minutes after 8 p.m. Tuesday, the Associated Press called the race, with Davis securing about 52% of the vote with over 35,000 ballots cast at that time in his favor.
And around the same time, Davis joyously entered the conference room to McFadden & Whitehead’s “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now,” making his way to the stage as he stopped to shake hands and hug attendees, cameras flashing in his face.
The celebration for Davis began well before results were announced at the Westside Baptist Conference Center in East Garfield Park at 7:30 p.m., only a half hour after polls closed. Nearly 100 people milled about with excitement, greeting each other and giving hopeful updates about Davis’ vote counts.
When Davis reached the podium, he first thanked the seniors who voted for him: “I want to thank everybody, but I really want to thank the senior citizens,” he said.
According to the Chicago Board of Elections, of the over 340,000 ballots cast by Tuesday, 65-to-75 year olds accounted for over 70,000 of them, more than any other age group.
“They’ve lifted up this country on their shoulders, but folks want to write them off,” Davis said.
In the primaries, challengers of Davis, 82, questioned his age, arguing that it was time for someone younger with a newer perspective in his position.
But his seniority, as the 24th longest standing member of Congress, was a major asset in winning the race, since he understands the system, having sponsored nearly 7,000 bills and voting over 16,000 times in congress.
“I am so affirmed that the people know the work that we’ve done in healthcare, know the work that we’ve done for those individuals who need assistance to bring their way back into society, those who didn’t have a place to live, those who people scorned at, the senior citizens,” Davis said.
The Congressman is well known for his work on affordable healthcare, criminal justice reform, women’s and LGBTQ rights. Earlier this month, he endorsed Bring Chicago Home, the referendum on the ballot that aimed to amend transfer taxes to fund resources for the unhoused community.
“I want to thank those who know that you can rise from the bottom, who know that you can give what you’ve got to give, and there will be rewards at the end,” Davis said.
Davis has also served on the powerful Committee on Ways and Means and its Worker and Family Support Subcommittee.
“When we take the house back, I am going to become chairman of the subcommittee on Worker and Family Support,” he said. “In 2021, we reduced child poverty in this country by 50%.”
Competitive race
Supporting working class families was one of the big talking points for Melissa Conyears-Ervin, Chicago City Treasurer since 2019, who ran against Davis and received nearly 22% of the vote, despite recent controversy about her ethics.
In November, the city released a letter revelaing that two of her employees were reportedly fired in 2020 for questioning her behavior, like having staff plan her daughter’s birthday party and run her personal errands. To resolve the lawsuit filed by those employees, Chicago taxpayers paid $100,000.
“I wish him the best because the residents of the 7th District need all the help they can get from their leaders in Washington and I’ll be behind him this November as I have been in the past,” Conyears-Ervin said in a statement, conceding to Davis just after 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Davis’ other top challenger in the race was activist Kina Collins. This was Collins’ third run for the 7th District seat. In the 2020 primaries, she garnered around 14% of the vote, following that with nearly 46% in 2022 – setting her up to be a strong contender for the seat this year. However, only 18% of voters cast their ballots for her.
In the West Side’s 29th Ward, Davis got over 63%, while Conyears-Ervin picked up around 27% of the vote and Collins got just over 7%. Conyears-Ervin performed slightly better in the 28th Ward, where her husband, Jason Ervin, is alderman, bringing in around 33% of the vote. Davis pulled over 51% and Collins got over 11% of the vote. In the 37th Ward, Davis again pulled ahead with around 68%, Conyears-Ervin with over 24% and Collins with around 5%.
Kouri Marshall, a former Obama campaign staffer who also worked for Gov. JB Pritzker, picked up under 3% of the vote in the citywide election, while principal and teacher Nikhil Bhatia received around 5%. In the Nov. 5 general election, Davis will run against Republican Chad Koppie.
