U.S. Rep. Danny Davis is seeking a 15th term in Congress, and his four opponents in the March Democratic primary say he’s been around too long.
Activist Kina Collins, from left, and City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin are challenging U.S. Rep. Danny Davis in the 7th Congressional District Democratic primary. City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin stood with U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries two years ago when the high-ranking New York Democrat came to Chicago to throw his political weight behind Danny Davis, the West Side congressman who was working to fend off the most serious primary challenge of his decadeslong career in Washington.
At the same time, Collins is back for a third shot at unseating Davis after more than tripling her share of the vote between her first and second campaigns. This time, however, she lacks the financial backing of the left-wing political action committee whose support helped bring her within striking distance in 2022.
U.S. Rep. Danny Davis speaks after receiving endorsements and support for his reelection in the 7th Congressional District from Gov. J.B. Prizker, other elected officials and clergy members at Manny’s Cafeteria and Delicatessen in Chicago on March 1, 2024. Davis spoke following a news conference where the Democratic establishment — including Pritzker, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, former Gov. Pat Quinn and former Secretary of State Jesse White, along with local leaders from the district — turned out to support his reelection.
Assessing the support he received that day, Davis said, “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.” Conyears-Ervin, 48, was elected city treasurer in 2019, months after winning a second full term representing a West Side district in the Illinois House. She is half of a political power couple with husband Jason. The 28th Ward alderman since 2011, Jason Ervin is also chairman of the City Council’s Budget Committee and former chairman of the Black Caucus.
Conyears-Ervin also has made balancing motherhood with her duties as an elected official central to her pitch, referring to herself repeatedly as “the only working mother in this race.” In September, the city inspector general’s office seized computers from Conyears-Ervin’s office, and in November, the Board of Ethics found probable cause that she had violated the city ethics code by firing the two employees. The city earlier had paid $100,000 to settle the complaints.
U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, center, arrives at Josephine’s Southern Kitchen, 436 E. 79th St., for a reelection endorsement gathering with faith leaders and entertainers on Feb. 10, 2024, in Chicago. Davis, for one, had to show up at a hearing to testify that the signature on the form was, in fact, his. City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, a candidate for the 7th Congressional District prays with clergy members and supporters at the Greater Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago on Feb. 28, 2024.
Another potent force in Conyears-Ervin’s corner is the Chicago Teachers Union, which cited her role as a working mother in its endorsement last month. “I’m going to be honest, we thought that the city treasurer would be a much more formidable opponent,” Collins said in a telephone interview last month.
Despite her strong performance last time out, Collins may face a steeper climb this time around because she lacks the financial backing of Justice Democrats, the left-wing PAC that helped sweep New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez into office in 2018. From the start of the current election cycle through Feb. 28, Collins has reported raising more than $72,000 and spending more than $48,000, leaving her with nearly $24,000 on hand for the closing three weeks of the campaign, federal campaign finance records show.
While Collins tries to catch up with fundraising, she’s also facing challenges from outside the district. A pro-Israel PAC, United Democracy Project, has launched a late blitz and reported spending nearly $482,000 against Collins’ candidacy since March 5, federal campaign records show. Conyears-Ervin had nearly $87,000 on hand as of Feb. 28 after raising more than $619,000 and spending more than $532,000, federal records show.