Democratic U.S. Rep. Danny Davis on Thursday plans to announce his retirement after serving 15 terms in Congress and is expected to hand a hefty endorsement to State Rep. La Shawn Ford, sources said.
Davis, 83, had hinted at his retirement for weeks. On Thursday morning, he plans to make it official outside his West Side office. The veteran congressman approached Ford about his plans several weeks ago.
With Davis’s exodus, there are now four open congressional seats in Illinois — a shuffle that began when Sen. Dick Durbin announced he wouldn’t be seeking another term and after longtime U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who represents the 9th Congressional District, announced her retirement.
U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who represents the 8th Congressional District, and Robin Kelly, who represents the 2nd Congressional District, join Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton in vying for Durbin’s seat.
Davis has represented the 7th Congressional District since 1996. The district encompasses Chicago’s West Side, and stretches from west suburban Hillside into the Loop and down to the South Side.
Born in Arkansas, Davis moved to Chicago in 1961 and worked as a teacher. He became executive director of the Greater Lawndale Conservation Commission and was elected alderperson of the 29th Ward in