14-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Danny Davis defeats four challengers in 7th Congressional District

Vying for a 15th term in Congress, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis defeated four challengers Tuesday in the 7th Congressional District Democratic primary, according to The Associated Press.

Davis won his 2022 primary by just 6 percentage points, and his opponents  this  time around argued that it was time for the 82-year-old congressman to move on.

The AP called the race for Davis about an hour after polls closed.

Davis argued that his seniority and the relationships he’s forged in Washington since first being elected to Congress in 1996 continue  to be a boon for the 7th District, which stretches from the lakefront through western suburbs and takes in large swaths of the West and South sides of Chicago.

Progressive activist Kina Collins, who gave him the toughest primary fight of his career two years ago and also lost to him two years before that, fell short for a third time.

Another challenger, second-term Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, a former Davis ally, was dogged by allegations of ethical misconduct at City Hall. The Board of Ethics in November found probable cause that Conyears-Ervin had violated the city ethics code by firing two employees who’d complained about her conduct.

Also in the race are Nikhil Bhatia, a middle school math teacher at a South Side charter school, and Kouri Marshall, a former staffer for Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Davis, No. 24 on the congressional seniority list and a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, had the backing of much of the Democratic establishment in Chicago and Illinois, including Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

“If those individuals are willing to stand and say that you are doing and have done a good job, it matters not what anybody else says, it matters not what anybody else believes,” Davis said at a campaign event earlier this month.

Conyears-Ervin was backed by a large number of politically active Black church leaders and by the powerful Chicago Teachers Union.

Collins was fighting an uphill battle in her third congressional bid, lacking the outside progressive backing that boosted her 2022 campaign. She also faced a late blitz of attacks from a pro-Israel political action committee over her pro-Palestinian stances.

As of Saturday, the United Democracy Project had reported spending more than $494,000 opposing Collins’ candidacy, federal campaign finance records show.

In November, Davis will face the lone candidate on the Republican primary ballot, perennial candidate Chad Koppie, who resides outside the heavily Democratic district in far northwest suburban Gilberts.