Illinois Rep. Danny Davis announces retirement
July 31 (UPI) -- Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., won't seek re-election after completing his 15th term next year and has endorsed an Illinois state representative to replace him.
"We're not going to go away, but the time has come," Davis, 83, said while announcing his pending retirement at a Chicago press event on Thursday.
"I want to thank the thousands of people who believed we could make a difference," Davis said, as reported by WTTW.
"Chicago, Illinois, has done some marvelous things," he said. "The road has not always been the easiest, but ... I've had so much fun doing this job."
Davis said he would have "done it for nothing" and "would pay to do it."
Illinois state Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, joined Davis at the press event, whom he introduced as his chosen successor.
Davis said he will chair Ford's campaign, while his chief of staff, Tumia Romero, will serve as Ford's campaign manager.
Davis described Ford, 53, as an experienced state representative, but he will face a crowded field.
Several Illinois Democrats already have announced their candidacy to replace Davis during the 2026 election.
Davis first won his seat in Congress in 1996 and is one of the oldest members of the House of Representatives.
He previously served as an alderman for Chicago's 29th Ward from 1979 to 1990 and as a Cook County commissioner from 1990 to 1997.
As the incumbent representative for Illinois' 7th District in the House of Representatives, Davis routinely secured 80% or more of votes despite rarely being mentioned by Chicago's daily newspapers.
He defeated Republican challenger Chad Koppie with 83% of votes during the Nov. 5 election.
The 7th District encompasses Chicago's downtown area, parts of the city's South Side and many western suburbs.
Davis, like all House Democrats, opposed President Donald Trump's and Republicans' "one big, beautiful bill" in July.
He called the budget bill a "big, bad, inhumane and ugly bill" and said it will "wreck health care delivery, take food from hungry children, sentence seniors to early deaths, eliminate jobs and destabilize the economy."
The only thing the bill would accomplish is giving "the super-rich and wealthy more influence, more power [and] more wealth," Davis said.
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