House Race May Split Black Vote

Illinois’s 7th Congressional District has long been represented by an African-American, but there’s now widespread worry that could soon change. With Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) signaling he’s ready to step down from the House after seven terms to run for president of the Cook County Board next year, there’s a real possibility that a non-African-American candidate could win the seat. “I think there is always that concern,” said Richard Boykin, a former Davis chief of staff who is a possible contender. “It’s a fear that a lot of people have.” “There’s great concern,” said Tommie Simmons, a black community activist in Chicago.

Talk that the seat could flip to a nonblack candidate signifies a stunning political turnabout. Chicago’s black community sees Rep. Davis’s district, stretching across the city’s downtown Loop and West Side, as its own. Cardiss Collins — the first black woman to represent a Midwestern congressional district — held the seat for 24 years, succeeding her husband, George Collins, who died in a 1972 plane crash. But with so many black pols expressing interest in succeeding Rep. Davis, there’s talk of a splintered black vote — a scenario that could hand the election to a white candidate. Already, the list of potential black candidates includes Mr. Boykin, Deputy Cook County Recorder of Deeds Darlena Williams-Burnett, state Sen. Rickey Hendon and state Reps. Karen Yarbrough, LaShawn Ford and Deborah Graham. Just one non-black — Alderman Bob Fioretti — is widely mentioned as a prospective candidate.

Chicago insiders also say there’s another reason why the seat could go to a non-African-American candidate: The district is changing. With gentrification in the eastern part of the district, more whites are moving into the district. And Latinos are moving into the central and western part of the district, replacing middle-class blacks. In the 2000 census, 62% of the district’s residents were black. In the 2005-2007 American Community Survey, 55% of those in the district were black. “I don’t think it’s implausible that a non-African-American candidate can win the seat, by any stretch,” said Eric Adelstein, a Chicago-based Democratic strategist. “The district has changed a lot, especially in the downtown areas.”

Not everyone, though, says the Chicago district needs African-American representation. Cherita Logan, a black community activist, argued that it was time to move on from the idea that black constituents needed a black lawmaker to serve their interests. “I don’t think it’s about an African-American winning the seat. It’s about progressive leadership,” said Ms. Logan. “I would hope this is not an issue in this race. I would hope that race is not a leading factor.”

Still, the idea that it has always been intended for an African-American to represent the district is strong. State Sen. Don Harmon, who is white, was widely mentioned as a potential successor to Rep. Davis but took his name out of the mix because he believed it was not his place to run. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to diminish the African-American voice in this district,” said State Sen. Harmon. “It was an immediate reaction for me. I’ve worked hard to build a multiracial coalition, and I’m not about to throw that away.”

Now some black Democrats say they are prepared to wage a concerted effort to make sure the district continues to be represented by an African-American. “Everyone wants to jockey for higher position. But we have to sit down and seriously discuss whether we want to keep this seat or whether we want to lose this seat,” said Tommie Simmons. “Who knows more about what we need than an African-American person?”

Booker Rising response: This Congressional race directly affects me because I live in the 7th Congressional District, having moved into the district in January. A lot more focus should be placed on whether downtown Chicago, the West Side, and part of the South Side and western suburbs have been well served over the years (I'd argue no, for the most part). I guess folks are afraid of competition. The article is correct that a lot of gentrification is going in the district, although there are pockets of black middle-classdom. It's good that candidates in the district will actually have to work for a change for the black vote. My vote.