Democratic Rep. Danny K. Davis of Illinois announced Thursday in Chicago that he will not seek reelection next year, at the end of his 15th term.
“We’re not going to go away, but the time has come,” said Davis, who was first elected to the House in 1996.
Davis was joined at his announcement by state Rep. La Shawn K. Ford, whom he endorsed in what’s likely to be a hotly contested primary in the heavily Democratic 7th District. Davis will serve as Ford’s campaign chairman, and the congressman’s chief of staff, Tumia Romero, will be the campaign manager.
Davis emphasized Ford’s experience as a state legislator as critical for why he was supporting him as his successor.
Davis’ decision comes as Democrats have grappled with questions around aging members in Congress. Davis, at 83 one of the oldest lawmakers on Capitol Hill, has been the subject of retirement speculation for months. Several Democrats have already launched bids for his seat, and more could get in now that he’s retiring.
A member of both the Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus, Davis was born to sharecroppers in southeastern Arkansas. He and his 10 siblings were sent to a segregated, one-room schoolhouse four or five months of the year, spending the rest of the time doing farm work. Davis has credited his voracious reading habits with eventually leading him to Washington.
Before coming to Capitol Hill, he served in multiple roles in Chicago politics, including on the Chicago City Council and the Cook County Board of Commissioners. He has focused much of his political career on increasing the social safety net to support impoverished communities. From his spot on the Ways and Means Committee, he has been a vocal supporter of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
In recent years, Davis had faced more competitive primary challenges. In 2022, he defeated activist Kina Collins by 6 points in the Democratic primary. Two years later, with primary opposition split among four rivals, including Collins and Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, he prevailed with 52 percent of the vote.
While serving in the House, Davis once had a chance to become a U.S. senator. But, in 2009, he turned down an offer from Gov. Rod Blagojevich to be appointed to the seat vacated by Barack Obama after his election as president. Blagojevich was later convicted on federal corruption charges related to his attempt to sell the Senate seat; he was pardoned by President Donald Trump earlier this year.
Ford is far from the only candidate in the field to replace Davis in the 7th District, which includes parts of Chicago’s South Side and the city’s southwestern suburbs.
Former Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin, who previously served as Davis’ chief of staff, is exploring a run for the seat. Businessman Jason Friedman and John McCombs, a Marine Corps veteran turned stand-up comic, both launched campaigns earlier this year. Friedman reported that he raised more than $1 million in the second quarter through June 30.
The winner of the Democratic primary will be the overwhelming favorite to succeed Davis in the 7th District, which is one of the bluest in the country. Kamala Harris carried the seat by 65 points last year, according to calculations by The Downballot, as Davis won reelection by a similar margin.
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