Longtime Illinois Rep. Danny K. Davis gets Justice Democrats-backed primary challenger

A Justice Democrats-backed activist is launching a challenge to longtime Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.) in his Chicago-area congressional district.

“I’m excited and humbled to announce that I am running to represent the people of IL-7 in Congress,” said Kina Collins, a gun violence prevention activist, later adding: “This is a watershed moment for our district and for our country, and I believe this urgent moment calls for urgent leadership.” 

Davis has represented Illinois’s deep-blue 7th Congressional District since 1997. But progressives have put him on their target list in recent years as insurgent candidates have unseated other veteran lawmakers across the country. 

Collins previously challenged Davis in the 2020 primary, finishing in a distant second place. But with Justice Democrats backing her latest campaign, Collins is hoping to consolidate the support of her party’s progressive wing to take out Davis. 

Justice Democrats, a political action committee aligned with progressives, has scored a handful of victories in recent years, most notably in 2018 when Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) unexpectedly unseated longtime Rep. Joe Crowley (D) in a primary.

Since then, the group has backed successful challenges to other House Democrats, including in Illinois. Last year, former Rep. Dan Lipinski, a conservative Democrat, lost his primary to Rep. Marie Newman (D-Ill.), who had the support of Justice Democrats in her race.