The 2026 Midterm Election season is in full swing. With the Illinois general primary coming up on March 17, one of the most consequential and highly-contested races is Illinois’ 7th Congressional District. The seat had been held for nearly 30 years by the U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Chicago), an 84-year-old Black man who is now retiring. Before Davis, there was Cardiss Collins, the first Black woman to represent the Midwest in Congress. She held the seat for 24 years.
“The seventh district is still predominantly Black, and so we need to be aware of those numbers. We need to actively exercise our right to vote because local elections matter most and we can move the dial in whichever direction we choose,” said Remel Terry, NAACP Chicago Westside Branch president.
There are 13 candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in the primary; the majority of them are Black: Illinois State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford (D-Chicago), Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins, former Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin, University of Chicago Medical Center emergency physician Thomas Fisher, SEIU executive director Anthony Driver Jr. and organizer Kina Collins.
Davis has endorsed Ford in the race.
Friedman Properties owner and real-estate giant Jason Friedman, University of Illinois-Chicago adjunct lecturer David Ehrlich, immigrant rights organizer Anabel Mendoza, corporate human resources worker Jazmin Robinson, former Federal Trade Commission attorney Reed Showalter and tech engineer Felix Tello are also Democratic candidates in the race.
Friedman has received backlash for receiving campaign contributions from pro-Israel donors. According to The Intercept, 29 donors who gave to Friedman’s campaign have also given to American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) PAC, including eight of the same UDP donors. This week, United Democracy Project (UDP) — a super PAC that helps to “elect candidates that share our vision and will be strong supporters of the U.S.-Israel relationship in Congress” — released an ad supporting Conyears-Ervin.
The Democratic nominee of the race will later face the winner of the Republican primary in November’s general election. ChicagoRED founder and radio personality Patricia “P Rae” Easley and 87-year-old Kane County resident Chad Koppie, who lost to Davis in the November 2024 general election, are seeking the Republican nomination.
The 7th Congressional District race has garnered attention because there’s a possibility the number of Democratic candidates will split the Black vote. According to veteran Chicago political reporter Monroe Anderson, a white split is what put Mayor Harold Washington in office in 1983, but a Black split following Washington’s untimely death put — and kept — a white man in the mayor’s office for decades.
In a recent Chicago Tribune column, political commentator and veteran journalist Laura Washington discussed the possibility of a non-Black candidate emerging as the victor in the race because of a Black split in the vote. As of publishing time, Friedman has a huge lead in fundraising dollars over the other Democratic candidates. He’s raised a little over $1.8 million, and has just over $1 million in his campaign coffers so far, according to filing data from the Federal Election Commission. Fisher is currently in second place in terms of fundraising, with more than $455,000 on hand.
“I want the best person who will ensure that they’re doing what’s necessary for Black people [to win] and if that individual happens to be a Black person, then I’m all for that,” Terry said.
On Jan. 27, Terry moderated the Westside NAACP’s candidate’s forum at The Collins Academy High School. Democratic candidates Friedman, Ehrlich and Collins did not attend. Collins had a prior engagement. Friedman’s team asked for follow-up details in early January about the forum, according to Terry, but she said she didn’t hear from them again after following up. Ehrlich couldn’t be reached.
Mary Gardner, a longtime community activist and Austin resident, said she’s seen a high volume of political commercials and mailers since the start of the election season. She wouldn’t name names, but said some of the white candidates in the race don’t have longstanding relationships in Austin and are using ads and mailers instead of meeting people face to face.
The 7th Congressional District stretches from parts of the South Side to the West Side and some of Chicago’s western suburbs, including Oak Park, Elmhurst, Maywood, Broadview and Hillside. According to Data USA, the district is over 40% Black.
“It seems like the white candidates are saying, ‘Yeah, they’ll split it and I’m just going to walk right down the middle. Let me flood the district with mailers, because I don’t know how to go and knock on doors. I don’t know how to go to a bus stop and shake hands, but I’ll pay for all of these mailers, and then I’ll get on TV and do these nice commercials and stuff,’” because there’s nothing else that they can offer,’” Gardner said about splitting the vote.
She added that whoever secures the seat has big shoes to fill.
“One of the things that is absolutely still kind of amazing about Congressman Danny K. Davis is that he will answer your call,” she said. “He will return your phone call. He is very people oriented when it comes to his constituents, and that’s what we want.”
Terry echoed that sentiment about Davis.
“There are very few people who are willing to be bold enough and stand up to say what Black people need and really highlight the historic disinvestments and even present-day lagging that we see when it comes to Black people collectively progressing when you compare it to any other group,” Terry said.
Early voting for Chicago voters starts downtown on Feb. 12 and on Feb. 18 for suburban voters at Cook County courthouses and a few other select sites. On March 12, early voting begins in all 50 Chicago wards and throughout suburban Cook County.
March 12 also is the deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot in Illinois. Primary Election Day is on March 17. The general election is Nov. 3.
There are still more opportunities to hear from candidates between now and Primary Election Day.
The Black Voter Project is hosting a U.S. Congressional District 7 Candidate Forum on Feb. 12 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at Alt Space, located at 5645 W. Lake Street (W. Corcoran Place) on the West Side. Details about the event can be found here.
The Business Leadership Council is hosting a forum on Feb. 19 at Malcolm X College from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. An RSVP link can be found here.
Below is the full list of the 15 candidates, in alphabetical order by last name:
Richard R. Boykin is an attorney, former 1st District Cook County Commissioner, and former chief of staff and legislative director to Davis. He was elected Cook County Commissioner in 2014 and lost re-election to Chicago current Mayor Brandon Johnson in 2018. He’s worked in private practice since then. Before becoming a county commissioner, he served on the Business Enterprise Council under former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn.
He got his start in politics as a Congressional Black Caucus fellow for former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun and as an intern for U.S. Rep. Bobby L. Rush.
In the 7th Congressional District race, he’s endorsed by repeat Chicago mayoral candidate Willie Wilson.
Campaign website: richardboykinforcongress.com
Kina Collins is a gun violence activist who ran to unseat Davis in 2020, 2022 and 2024. According to The Intercept, the pro-Israel United Democracy Project spent just under half a million dollars against her in 2024. She finished third in 2024, gaining 18.9% of the vote in the race that included Davis, Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin and three others. Collins was a staff member in J. B. Pritzker’s campaign for governor in 2018, but resigned after Pritzker made racially insensitive comments about former Secretary of State Jesse White and former Senate President Emil Jones.
Collins has led efforts to hold gun manufacturers and dealers accountable for fueling the flow of illegal guns into neighborhoods. According to her campaign, she co-authored and helped pass the Illinois Council on Women and Girls Act and has served on the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris transition team. She said she founded the Chicago Neighborhood Alliance in 2017 to empower residents in neighborhoods impacted by violence to build civic power and take action to change their communities.
Campaign website: kinacollinsil.com
Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin is the Chicago City Treasurer. A repeat candidate, she ran in the 7th District race in 2024 and won 21% of the vote in the Democratic primary against Davis, Collins and three others. She was elected treasurer in 2019. As treasurer, she is the banker, investor and custodian of public funds for the city of Chicago and four city of Chicago employee pension funds. Prior to being treasurer, she was an Illinois State Representative for one term, representing the state’s 10th district.
According to Politico Illinois Playbook, United Democracy Project is spending $458,865 on TV and cable ads supporting Conyears-Ervin through Feb. 16. This month, the Chicago Teachers Union endorsed Conyears-Ervin for the 7th District race.
Campaign website: melissaforcongress.org
Anthony Driver Jr. is the executive director of the SEIU Illinois State Council, representing more than 160,000 SEIU members statewide. He previously led the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA), the city’s civilian police oversight board. He stepped down as president of the CCPSA last fall when he announced his run for Davis’ seat. Driver still serves as a commissioner of CCPSA; the seven-member body can evaluate the performance of the police superintendent, any member of the police board, and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) chief administrator. CCPSA also can recommend and weigh in on CPD policy. He was appointed to CCPSA in 2022 and was elected president of the commission that same year.
In his previous role as political coordinator at SEIU Healthcare, he helped to secure victories, including raising Chicago’s minimum wage to $15. In the 7th District race, Driver has been endorsed by outgoing U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Illinois State Sen. Lakesia Collins, multiple alderpeople including Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th Ward) and Progressive Caucus Co-Chair and Ald. Maria Hadden (49th Ward), and multiple labor unions.
Campaign website: driverforchange.com
Patricia “P Rae” Easley is a radio personality, frequent Fox News TV commentator, and self-described “Muse to President Trump; Queen MAGA of Chicago.” She is the founder of ChicagoRED, a conservative political action committee (PAC).
Easley has been civically engaged on the West Side since childhood. According to her campaign, her priorities include strengthening local security, fighting for housing justice, protecting community hospitals and making neighborhoods safe. She also worked as an English literacy consultant for international schools in Dakar, Senegal’s capital city. Since 2016, Easley has advocated for and organized conservative causes.
Campaign website: praeforcongress.com
David Ehrlich is an adjunct lecturer in the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois–Chicago. Prior to his academic career, Ehrlich served as a senior analyst for the U.S. Government Accountability Office, where he briefed members of Congress, congressional committees, executive agencies, and nongovernmental groups on legislation, policy design and public management issues.
Campaign website: ehrlichforcongress.com
Dr. Thomas Fisher is an emergency physician. He has worked in medicine for more than 20 years. In 2010, he was selected as a White House Fellow during the President Barack Obama administration, serving under U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius during the rollout of the Affordable Care Act. He also devised the 2011 HHS Action Plan for reducing racial and ethnic health disparities. In addition, he helped launch a Medicaid health plan that served over 80,000 people in Cook County.
Campaign website: thomasfisherforcongress.com
Rep. La Shawn K. Ford (D-Chicago) currently serves the 8th District as Illinois State Representative. He was elected in 2006 to the district, which includes the West Side of Chicago and western suburbs such as parts of Oak Park, Broadview, North Riverside and La Grange. His legislative career is defined by his role in expanding record sealing and expungement, which opened pathways to work for thousands of people. He authored the African American Employment Plan Act to expand representation and opportunity in state government, and he co-founded the West Side Heroin/Opioid Task Force to help curb drug addictions and overdoses.
In the 7th Congressional District race, Ford has been endorsed by Davis, former longtime 27th Ward Ald. Walter Burnett, multiple Illinois state legislators including Rep. Kam Buckner, Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford and Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, former Illinois Senate President Emil Jones, Jr., Ald. Derrick Curtis (18th Ward) and more.
Prior to serving in the Illinois House of Representatives, Ford taught and coached in the Chicago Public Schools and later opened a real estate business.
Campaign website: fordforcongress.com
Jason Friedman is a real estate investor in Chicago who owns (and is the former president) of Friedman Properties, a River North real estate firm founded by his father Albert Friedman. He stepped down from his role as president of the firm in 2023. According to its website, Friedman Properties’ “continues to work as an agent of urban renewal throughout the Chicago area.”
Friedman has volunteered and worked under Democratic politicians including U.S. Rep. Paul Simon and U.S. Senators Carol Moseley Braun and Dick Durbin. He also previously worked as a domestic policy aide under former President Bill Clinton. Friedman founded the Jewish United Fund’s Young Real Estate Group in 2007 and served as its chair for more than two years, according to the fund. He also co-chaired a JUF Mission to Israel for a group of 15-20 young business professionals. Through his philanthropic work with the fund, Friedman supported Mount Sinai Hospital on Chicago’s West Side.
As of publishing time, Friedman has a huge lead in fundraising dollars over the other Democratic candidates. He’s raised a little over $1.8 million, and has just over $1 million in his campaign coffers so far, according to filing data from the Federal Election Commission. According to The Intercept, 29 donors who gave to Friedman’s campaign have also given to American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) PAC, including eight of the same UDP donors.
Campaign website: www.friedmanforcongress.com
Mayor Rory Hoskins is the current mayor of Forest Park, a western suburb of Chicago. He was elected as Forest Park’s first Black mayor in 2019, and re-elected in 2023. Before becoming mayor, he served two terms as a Forest Park Village Commissioner from 2007 to 2015, where he led the creation of the village’s Diversity Commission.
He is a member of the Illinois Bar and was named an Edgar Fellow in 2022. In 2023, he was appointed to the Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee of the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office.
Campaign website: roryforillinois.com
Chad Koppie is a retired farmer and jet pilot. He was a member of the Kane County Regional Board of Education from 2007 to 2023, with two years as board president 2021-23; Rutland Township trustee, from 1983 to 1987; Humana Hospital board, from 1983 to 1987; District 300 School Board member, 1987 to 1991.
He is a repeat candidate. Koppie ran as the Republican nominee in the 7th Congressional District race in 2022 and in 2024, losing to Davis each time. He’s also run for other political offices, including governor in 1998.
Campaign website: koppieforcongress.com
Anabel Mendoza is an immigrant rights activist and director of communications for United We Dream. She is the youngest person in the 7th Congressional District race.
Campaign website: anabelforcongress.com
Jazmin J. Robinson has worked in human resources for more than a decade, focused on making the workplace fairer for employees. She’s championing the H.E.A.L. Act, which would provide free quality universal health care, education, access to government and fair markets, and a living wage with credits for small businesses.
Campaign website: jazminjrobinson.com
Reed Showalter is an attorney. After earning a degree from New York University, Reed worked in financial regulation at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. As a law student, he worked at Chicago Legal Aid, and after graduating he worked in Congress on the Judiciary Committee staff. He’s also worked in public service as an attorney at the Federal Trade Commission, a counsel in the U.S. Justice Department, and a senior policy advisor in the White House National Economic Council.
Campaign website: reed4congress.com
Felix Tello is a tech engineer and mathematician with over 35 years of experience in business and leadership, including roles at two Global 500 companies and founding a successful healthcare and IT consulting firm.
Campaign website: felixforcongress.org
Clarification: The TRiiBE mistakenly captioned the wrong name under Mayor Rory Hoskins photograph. This story has been updated to clarify.
