Tagillinois

Incumbent Danny K. Davis, Kina Collins, and Denarvis Mendenhall ran in the Democratic primary for Illinois’ 7th Congressional District on June 28, 2022. Davis, who has represented the district in Congress since 1997, won the primary with 52.3% of the vote. Collins received 45.3% of the vote, and Mendenhall received 2.4%.

Davis focused his campaign on familiarity with the district’s voters, saying, “This is my community…This is my home. This is my life.” Davis’ campaign yard signs read, “Re-elect Danny Davis. He’s someone you know,” and his campaign website highlighted his congressional voting record and seniority on congressional committees and caucuses. Collins’ campaign did not draw a contrast with Davis on policy but said Collins would provide the district with a fresh voice in Washington. Collins emphasized the fact that Davis has represented the district since she was in kindergarten and said that it was time for a change. She said, “I’m not just running to be the congresswoman in the Illinois 7th, but to talk about a vision for the Democratic Party, which includes young people, people of color, women, and those who do not come from traditional political backgrounds.” Collins’ campaign raised more money than Davis’, according to reports from the Federal Election Commission. Analysts described this primary race as a bellwether for generational tensions within the Democratic Party.

Prior to serving in Congress, Davis served on the Chicago City Council for 11 years as alderman of the 29th Ward. He also served on the Cook County Board of Commissioners from 1990 to 1996. He was elected to the U.S. House to represent Illinois’ 7th Congressional District in 1996. Davis served on the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee and was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Progressive Caucus. Davis’ re-election was endorsed by President Joe Biden (D), Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D), Illinois Senators Tammy Duckworth (D) and Dick Durbin (D), and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Collins became a protest organizer in the wake of the Chicago police shooting of Laquan McDonald in 2014 and founded the Chicago Neighborhood Alliance, a group describing its goal as to help end gun violence through civic engagement, in 2017. Collins lost to Davis in Illinois’ 7th Congressional District’s 2020 Democratic primary. She also served on the transition team and task force for gun violence prevention under President Joe Biden (D). Collins’ campaign was endorsed by several aldermen in the 7th District and the national political organizations Indivisible, Justice Democrats, and National Organization for Women.

Before the primary, the Cook Political Report, Sabato’s Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections all rated Illinois’ 7th Congressional District as a solid/safe Democratic seat, meaning that as the winner of the Democratic primary, Davis is very likely to win the general election as well.

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi defeated Junaid Ahmed in the Democratic primary for Illinois’ 8th Congressional District on June 28, 2022.

According to unofficial results, Krishnamoorthi received 71% of the vote to Ahmed’s 29%.

Krishnamoorthi was first elected to represent the 8th District in 2016. Before entering office, Krishnamoorthi was a partner at the law firm Kirkland & Ellis and president of a research and development company. He also worked as a policy director on Barack Obama’s (D) 2004 Senate campaign.

Krishnamoorthi, who immigrated to the U.S. as a child, emphasized his experience in office and said he “worked his hardest to ensure other Americans have the same opportunities his family had to achieve the American Dream.” Krishnamoorthi said he “co-authored successful legislation to expand federal support for career and technical education” and “[advocated] for protecting Social Security and Medicare.” Krishnamoorthi received endorsements from the Chicago Tribune and Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

As of June 8, 2022, Krishnamoorthi had raised $6.5 million and Ahmed had raised $1.1 million.

During the primary, Ahmed criticized Krishnamoorthi on the amount of money the incumbent raised, saying, “[W]e are being represented by a political class who are more interested in representing the needs of their corporate donors … than in representing the needs of the hard working families of the 8th district.”

In a debate, Krishnamoorthi said, “I raise as much as I can because I go after the special interests in Washington. … You can ask the rental car companies, the meat processing companies, the oil and gas companies that I’m now investigating what they think of me.”

Following redistricting, the 8th District remained in the Chicago area. At the time of the primary, three election forecasters rated the general election as Solid or Safe Democratic.

Delia Ramirez won the Democratic primary for Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District on June 28, 2022. Four candidates ran. Ramirez had 66% of the vote to Gil Villegas’ 24%.

According to ABC Chicago, the district was redrawn after the 2020 census “specifically to provide a Latino plurality district.” Rep. Marie Newman (D), the old 3rd District’s representative, ran for re-election in the 6th District.

The Chicago Tribune‘s John Byrne called the primary “a modern referendum on issues ranging from diversity of representation to the political philosophies that are dominating the Democratic Party in Illinois and across the nation. And it’s all playing out in a new district that extends from progressive Chicago neighborhoods to historically conservative towns in the far reaches of what used to be the Republican stronghold of DuPage County.”

Ramirez was elected to the state House in 2018. She co-founded the Illinois House Progressive Caucus. Ramirez said her record included working to codify the right to abortion in Illinois, establish an elected school board in Chicago, and make Medicaid available to low-income people regardless of immigration status. Ramirez said she’d work for Medicare for All in Congress.

Villegas was elected to the Chicago City Council in 2015. As of the primary, he chaired the council’s Latino Caucus. Villegas said he worked to pass a universal basic income pilot and to create jobs for women, minority, and veteran workers. Villegas said he would prioritize public safety and work to prevent Republican efforts to pass what he described as anti-choice legislation in Congress.