Saying it was time for new and younger leadership to take over a congressional district he has represented for nearly three decades, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis announced Thursday he wasn’t seeking reelection and endorsed veteran state Rep. La Shawn Ford to succeed him.
“I am 83 years old. Some people won’t get to be 83. I mean, a lot of people that I know, and were in my Rolodex, they’re not there anymore,” Davis said at a news conference outside his West Side congressional office, surrounded by a crush of family, allies and clergy.
“I just decided that this would be a good time — this would be a great time — to try and usher in and help bring in new leadership,” he said. “Because when you’re on the verge of leaving, it’s hard to do the kind of planning you’d like to do.”
By retiring at the end of his current term in January 2027, Davis’ decision to forgo seeking a 16th term in Congress, as well as the power of seniority that came with being Illinois’ longest-serving sitting House member, creates the fourth open-seat congressional contest in Illinois next year.
U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg and Robin Kelly of Matteson have opted to seek the seat of retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, along with Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. And U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Evanston announced in May she would not seek a 15th term in Congress.
Since all four districts are regarded as safely Democratic, the winners of next year’s March 17 Democratic primaries will be the heavy favorites in the general election.
Ford said Davis’ endorsement was “not just an honor” but “a strong affirmation of our shared mission to uplift and empower the people we serve.”
“This campaign isn’t just about securing your vote. It’s about sending a firm message against ‘Make America Hate Again,” Ford said, altering President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. “This agenda and the policies voted by many Republicans is harmful. We will boldly defend and expand civil rights, human rights and the dignity of every person in our state.”
While Davis sought to anoint Ford as his successor and cited Ford’s 18 years of experience in the state legislature, Democrats had been lining up for the primary in anticipation of the incumbent’s retirement. Ford himself launched his bid in May but said at the time he wouldn’t challenge Davis if the congressman sought reelection.
In addition to Ford, at least eight people had already filed to run before Thursday, including attorney Richard Boykin, a former Cook County commissioner and Davis’ former chief of staff, and Chicago businessman Jason Friedman, who has raised more than $1 million for his campaign.
Both issued statements honoring Davis’ career in public service, and both vowed to follow Davis’ agenda, while ignoring the Ford endorsement.
The endorsement also did little to quell the size of the field.
Shortly before Davis formally made his announcement, Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin announced she planned to run for the seat again. In 2024, Conyears-Ervin challenged Davis for the congressional seat but lost in the Democratic primary. During the campaign, Conyears-Ervin was forced to fend off allegations she violated the city ethics code by improperly firing two employees, among other accusations. City ethics officials later fined her a total of $70,000.
Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins also announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the seat as Davis made his decision public. Several others are also mulling a run.
Ford said that while Davis “passed the torch, (he) told me, ‘You’ve got to finish the race.’ That’s my intention.” He credited Davis for meeting with voters and allies in the district to solidify support and build an infrastructure for his campaign.
“We have a constituent base that (Davis) has had since he’s been in Congress that has grown, so to pass that on is huge,” Ford said. “But once again, it’s my responsibility to convince them that I will continue the legacy and carry it further.”
Ford said he would follow Davis’ lead in working to fight Republican cuts in health care and social services.
In 2012, Ford faced a 17-count federal indictment alleging he lied about money he spent on a real estate rehab that resulted in him underpaying taxes by nearly $3,800. But in 2014, federal prosecutors dropped all felony counts without explanation and Ford pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor tax charge. He was sentenced to six months’ probation, ordered to pay back taxes and perform community service.
Ford on Thursday said the conviction was the result of a plea with “the whole United States against you.” He said that after he paid off the tax required by the court order, he later, in 2014, received a U.S. Treasury check for $3,793, refunding the amount. He displayed a copy of the check to a Tribune reporter.
“I just think that it was a situation that has connected me even closer to the constituents of the 7th Congressional District, so I’m not ashamed of it,” he said of the misdemeanor. “I look forward to people bringing it up and I would ask them, my opponents, how many of them could actually withstand a federal investigation?”
Davis remarked on the changes that have taken place during his tenure serving the vast congressional district that includes Chicago’s West Side, the city’s downtown and the South Loop. Madison Street’s “Skid Row” reputation gave way to a bustling West Side real estate market and the growth of the city’s medical district, while the South Loop’s once-tawdry history has been rewritten to feature a canopy of high-rise condos and apartments.
Davis was a powerful progressive voice throughout his tenure in public service, which began in 1979 with an 11-year run on the Chicago City Council, followed by six years on the Cook County Board before his 1996 election to Congress.
Asked what he would consider his legacy, Davis said he hoped “that I helped inspire, motivate and activate people to be engaged in public policy.”
“If people don’t feel that they have a responsibility, a citizenship responsibility, then tyrants like Donald Trump end up leading the country,” he said.
Davis said while he had purchased a “rocking chair” for retirement, he had also agreed to chair Ford’s congressional bid.
But he said he would not seek reelection as a committeeman to the state Democratic Party central committee — the party’s governing board made up of members from each of the state’s 17 congressional districts.
Davis did not offer an endorsement of a successor in that race, but Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said in a statement that he intended to seek the state central committeeman’s post.
