Five candidates are running in the Democratic primary for Illinois 7th Congressional District on March 19, 2024. Three lead in endorsements: incumbent Danny K. Davis (D), Kina Collins (D) and Melissa Conyears-Ervin (D).
Davis was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996. Since 2000, Davis has won at least 80% of the vote in general elections to represent the district. Davis received endorsements from Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D).
Davis said he believes it is beneficial for the district to have representation with seniority in the U.S. House: “I know all the players. I know all the people. I know the leadership. But most importantly, I am productive. I have passed major bills that affect not just the 7th district but affect the whole state of Illinois and the whole United States of America.”
Collins is a community organizer who founded the Chicago Neighborhood Alliance, which works to prevent gun violence in Chicago. Collins said she is running against Davis because she believes her district wants fresh representation in Congress: “He’s been my congressman since I was five years old. He’s missed more votes than any Democrat in our delegation. And he takes corporate PAC money. I think it’s time that we usher in a new leader.” Collins received endorsements from the Downtown Chicago chapter of Indivisible and the People’s Lobby.
Conyears-Ervin is the Chicago City Treasurer and previously served in the state House. “As a working mother born on the South Side, raised on the West Side, and raising my daughter on the West Side, I know how hard the people of the 7th District work every day. I also know they deserve someone representing them in Congress who works as hard as they do to make our community better,” Conyears-Ervin said. Conyears-Ervin received endorsements from the Chicago Teachers Union and the Illinois Nurses Association.
Collins and Davis both ran in the two preceding Democratic primaries. In 2020, Davis won with 60.2% to Collins’ 13.9% in a field of four candidates. In 2022, Davis won 51.9% to Collins’ 45.7%. Conyears-Ervin did not run in either primary.
Also running in the primary are Nikhil Bhatia (D) and Kouri Marshall (D).
Based on the results from the two preceding presidential elections, The Cook Report with Amy Walter ranked the district as the 8th most Democratic district in the United States.
Additional Reading: