Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, state Sen. President Don Harmon and former Chicago mayoral candidate Willie Wilson are among the big names who have recently endorsed Congressman Danny Davis in the 7th District race.
He faces a strong challenge in the March 19 Democratic primary from Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin and progressive activist and two-time Davis opponent Kina Collins. First-time candidates Kouri Marshall and teacher Nikhil Bhatia are also running in the primary.
Davis, 82, is seeking his 15th term in Congress. Harmon said he is endorsing Davis because he sees the value of experience and seniority in Congress.
“I endorsed him because right now in Washington a little gray hair is a valuable commodity,” Harmon told the Wednesday Journal. “We are at an inflection point. We hope that the Democrats will retake the House. That would put Congressman Davis in line for an important committee chair. The longer I do this the more I appreciate the wisdom of longevity.”
Harmon’s endorsement is his personally and not from the Democratic Party of Oak Park which has not made an endorsement in the race. Harmon said that DPOP often stays out federal primary races.
In the primary two years ago, Collins trounced Davis in Oak Park and River Forest, wining 73.67% of the vote in Oak Park and 67.67% of the vote in River Forest. In recent years Davis has not done well in Oak Park and River Forest. Harmon said that Collins became the darling of local progressive activists two years ago.
“That turned into a local movement,” Harmon said.
In the 2022 primary, Davis defeated Collins by a little more than six percentage points overall winning just 51.9% of the vote.
While some have felt that Davis doesn’t pay much attention to Oak Park or River Forest, Harmon disputed the notion that Davis is unpopular in Oak Park.
“Danny, I think, has long recognized that the communities in his district in the most need are not Oak Park or River Forest and I can’t blame him for going to bat for Austin or for Maywood in ways that are more immediate than the needs of Oak Park,” Harmon said.
Pritzker, along with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Congressman Jonathan Jackson, former governor Pat Quinn and former Secretary of State Jesse White all endorsed Davis at an event held at Manny’s Cafeteria and Delicatessen on the near West Side of Chicago March 1.
“Danny’s tireless commitment to the fight to lift up Illinoisians who too often have been left out and left behind, too often forgotten, to making sure that the federal government never forgets the people that Danny Davis represents. Well, that’s the reason I stand here today to endorse Danny Davis for reelection to the House,” Pritzker said.
Conyears-Ervin seems to be mounting the most formidable challenge to Davis this year. Her campaign has raised $619,089.46 as of Feb. 28 according to FEC records, outraising the nearly $458,000 Davis has received in campaign contributions over the past two years. As of Feb. 28, Collins had only managed to raise $72,233.41 by Feb. 28, although her campaign got a big infusion of cash, estimated to be between $200,000 to $300,000, on March 8 when the indie rock group The Strokes put on a benefit concert for the Collins campaign at Credit Union 1 Arena. Ticket purchases were counted as campaign contributions to the Collins campaign
