Illinois 7th District draws old and new names
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Map of Illinois 7th Congressional district. Image: Courtesy of Ballotpedia
Since 1997, Rep. Danny Davis has represented this strongly Democratic district that spans from downtown through the West Side and into the western suburbs, including Oak Park and Hillside.
- Here's a look at frontrunners — all Democrats — among 13 candidates looking to replace Davis, who is retiring:
La Shawn Ford: A state representative since 2007, Ford scored Davis' endorsement as the longtime congressman was announcing his retirement last summer. Ford has pushed for regulated hemp sales and supervised drug use sites on the West Side.
Melissa Conyears-Ervin: City Treasurer since 2019, Conyears-Ervin lost the primary to Davis in 2024 by more than 30 percentage points. She's running on a platform to build "sustainable wealth," lower costs and make health care a right, among other issues.
Thomas Fisher: An author and emergency doctor at UChicago, Fisher entered the race, in part to tackle health disparities between the richest and poorest in the district. He's gotten the nod from the Chicago Tribune and from U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood.
Kina Collins: Founder of the Chicago Neighborhood Alliance, Collins advocates for "Medicare for All, housing as a human right, fair wages, clean air and water and an economy that centers people over profit." Running for the spot a fourth time, she bills herself as "proven, persistent and progressive."
Richard Boykin: The former Cook County Commissioner and one-time Davis chief of staff's platform calls for "lower costs, more jobs and safe streets" with a focus on reducing gun violence.
Jason Friedman: One of the only white candidates running for the nomination, Friedman is a business owner of a development firm founded by his father that built properties in a River North section of the district.
Others on the ballot include Democrats Reed Showalter, David Ehrlich, Anabel Mendoza, Jazmin Robinson, and Felix Tello, and Republicans Chad Koppie and Patricia "P Rae" Easley.