After 15 Terms in Congress, Respected Elder Statesman Danny Davis, Will Not Seek Reelection
Congressman Danny Davis, 83, who has been representing the 7th District of Illinois for fifteen terms in the House, announced Thursday that he will not seek reelection in 2026. First elected November 5, 1996, Davis has been re-elected by large majorities to succeeding Congresses.
Before being elected to Congress, Davis served on the Cook County Board of Commissioners, and for eleven years he was a member of the Chicago City Council as Alderman of the 29th Ward.
Prior to public service, Congressman Davis was an educator, community organizer, health planner and administrator, and a civil rights advocate. Congressman Davis earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Arkansas A.M. & N. He completed both Master's and Doctorate degrees from Chicago State University and the Union Institute, respectively. He has also been awarded six honorary Doctorate Degrees.
Lauded as one of the most liberal members of Congress, issues of racial equality were central to the Congressman's political career. He is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means.
According to AP News, in 2016, Davis was one of the House Democrats who participated in a sit-in demanding a vote on gun control measures. Later that year, gun control measures became personal to the Congressman when his 15-year-old grandson, Javon Wilson, was fatally shot in Chicago.
Congressman Davis was co-chair of the Congressional Black Men and Boys Caucus--formed after the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, the Florida teenager, a victim of profiling who was fatally shot. Davis, who shared that he had been a victim of racial profiling when he was pulled over by two white police officers in Chicago, pushed for legislation that would ban the practice.
In his statement, Davis reminded everyone of the importance of empowering young people “who can grow into leadership”. He also warned about tyrants and efforts to reverse Democratic health care efforts.
“There are efforts right now underway to try to diminish Medicare, Medicaid,” he said Thursday. “If those programs are seriously diminished, thousands and thousands and thousands of people will not have access to health care.”
“We’re not going to go away,” Davis said, supported by his wife, local pastors and congressmen. “But the time has come.”
