What to know about Illinoi 7th Congressional District Democratic primary

wbez.org · Feb 19, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Representatives vote on federal laws, advocate for their districts and work to secure federal funding and other resources for constituents. Thirteen candidates are running for the Illinois 7th District seat.Photoillustration by Andjela Padejski/WBEZ; Photo by Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times, Pat Nabong/Sun-Times A crowded field of candidates with some familiar names are vying for the seat held by U.S. Rep. Danny Davis for nearly three decades. Read this story for free. To continue reading, sign up for The Rundown and get unlimited access to WBEZ.org. Richard Boykin, Kina Collins, Melissa Conyears-Ervin, Anthony Driver, David Ehrlich, Thomas Fisher, La Shawn Ford, Jason Friedman, Rory Hoskins, Anabel Mendoza, Jazmin Robinson, Reed Showalter and Felix Tello are running for the Democratic nomination to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Danny Davis in the 7th Congressional District, which stretches from the South Side to the western suburbs.So what? Davis has held the seat for nearly three decades, and the primary winner in this heavily Democratic district will be favored to replace the retiring congressman. They’ll face the winner of the Republican primary that includes Chad Koppie and Patricia “P Rae” Easley.What does a U.S. representative do? Representatives vote on federal laws, advocate for their districts and work to secure federal funding and other resources for constituents.Why is U.S. representative a powerful position? Members of Congress vote on laws that affect all Americans.Who are the candidates?Richard Boykin is an attorney, former Cook County commissioner and former chief of staff to Davis. Boykin has also run unsuccessful campaigns for county board president and circuit court clerk.Kina Collins is a community organizer and anti-gun violence activist who is making her fourth run for the seat.Melissa Conyears-Ervin is a former state representative serving her second term as Chicago’s city treasurer. She finished as runner-up to Davis in the 2024 Democratic primary.Anthony Driver is executive director of the Service Employees International Union Illinois State Council, an influential labor union. He was the first president of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, where he remains a commissioner.David Ehrlich is an adjunct lecturer at UIC’s College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs who previously worked as a senior analyst for the U.S. Government Accountability Office.Thomas Fisher is an emergency physician at the University of Chicago Medical Center who served as a White House Fellow under the Obama administration during the rollout of the Affordable Care Act.La Shawn Ford has served as a West Side state representative since 2007. He has been endorsed by Davis, and he ran for mayor in 2019.Jason Friedman is an owner and former president of Friedman Properties, a massive River North real estate firm with deep ties to several mayoral administrations. He once worked under Rahm Emanuel in former President Bill Clinton’s administration.Rory Hoskins is the first Black mayor of Forest Park, serving his second term after two terms as a commissioner in the west suburb.Anabel Mendoza is an immigrant rights organizer with the youth-led nonprofit United We Dream. At 27, she’s the youngest candidate in the race.Jazmin Robinson is a corporate human resources worker and improv performer calling for an end to big-money influence in politics.Reed Showalter is a former Federal Trade Commission attorney, U.S. Justice Department counsel and White House National Economic Council adviser who stepped down after President Donald Trump returned to office.Felix Tello is a technology engineer who says he’d deploy an app for constituents to weigh in on how he’d cast votes in Congress.