Congressman Danny K. Davis during Tuesday’s Primary edged out challenger Kina Collins as he was elected for the 13th time to Illinois’ 7th U.S. Congressional District, which covers parts of Chicago’s West Side.
Davis took 52.1 percent of the vote to Collins 45.5 percent. In Chicago, Davis, who was endorsed by the Crusader, won 11 of the 13 Black wards that are in his district. His biggest win came in the 16th Ward, where he took over 76 percent of the vote.
Collins, a Chicago activist who has protested against police misconduct, won two Black wards in the 7th Congressional District. They include the 4th Ward, where she won over 55 percent of the vote.
Davis secured endorsements from national politicians including President Joe Biden and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but Collins outspent him by nearly $140,000, according to campaign finance data from the Federal Elections Commission.
As with her campaign message last year, Collins ran as a fresh, more progressive alternative to the veteran Davis Davis held his election night watch party at the National Association of Letter Carriers building in Bronzeville.
Collins, who also ran for the 7th District congressional seat in 2020, was backed by a range of national organizations, including Indivisible, Justice Democrats and the National Organization for Women.
Davis was first elected to 7th Congressional District of Illinois in 1996.
Prior to his election to Congress, he served on the Cook County Board of Commissioners having been elected in November 1990 and reelected in November 1994. Previously, he served for eleven years as a member of the Chicago City Council as Alderman of the 29th Ward.
Before seeking public office Congressman Davis had productive careers as an educator, community organizer, health planner/administrator and civil rights advocate. He has received hundreds of awards and citations for outstanding work in the areas of health, education, human relations, politics and advocacy, including six honorary Doctorate Degrees from well-known colleges and universities. He has traveled extensively throughout the United States and has spent time in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and South and Central America.
Born in Parkdale, Arkansas, on September 6, 1941, Congressman Davis moved to the Westside of Chicago in 1961, after having earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Arkansas AM & N College. He subsequently earned both Masters and Doctorate degrees, respectively from Chicago State University and the Union Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio.
