State Rep. LaShawn Ford (second from left) and Congressman Danny Davis (third from left) are all smiles as they await the start of their press conference Thursday morning.(Photos by Bill Dwyer/For Chronicle Media)

Congressman Danny Davis confirmed Thursday what had become an open secret in recent days; he will not seek reelection to his 7th District seat, and will support retiring state Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, to replace him.

Telling a large crowd of supporters “We’re not going away, but the time has come,” Davis offered his emphatic endorsement of Ford to replace him in Congress, and announced he will serve as Ford’s campaign chair.

“People were asking me, ‘Who’s gonna be able to take the torch?’” Davis said. “The only one I know of all the people running … who has passed bills in the Illinois General Assembly is LaShawn Ford.”

Davis, 83, made the announcements at his district headquarters on Fifth Avenue near Madison Street and California Avenue on Chicago’s West Side. The announcements ended months of speculation not only regarding his election plans, but whether he would endorse someone from the growing list of candidates who have filed for the March 17 Democratic primary.

Now in his 15th term as congressman, Davis has been in public office for 46 years, at the city, county and federal levels, and for years before that as a social activist. He was elected Chicago’s 29th Ward alderman in 1979, serving 11 years before being elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 1990. He served on the County Board for six years before being elected to Congress in 1996.

For the past 27 years, he has also been the 7th District committeeman on the powerful Democratic State Central Committee.

Davis’ decision had been the focus of a months-long waiting game as the list of would-be 2026 Democratic primary candidates grew to five, then seven, and now eight, with the announcement that Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, who ran against Davis in 2024, has filed to run again.

Ford , D-8th, speaks to the large crowd outside Congressman Danny Davis’ district offices on Fifth Avenue in Chicago after receiving Davis’ endorsement to replace him in Congress.

For Ford, a former social studies teacher turned real estate developer, was opposed by most of the Democratic establishment in 2006 when he first won elected office, Davis’ endorsement is a huge boost in what is expected to be a fiercely contested primary and de facto general election. The winner of the March 17 election will be the prohibitive favorite in the overwhelmingly Democratic 7th Congressional District.

Ford said he worked hard to earn Davis’ endorsement, and admitted that he felt like he was constantly subjected to a job interview by Davis. He passed the interviews, and Davis passed the torch. Now the hard part begins, Ford said.

“He told me he’s passed the torch, but I have to finish the race,” Ford said.

On the 60th anniversary of the Medicare Act, Ford said the country is facing “a concerning rollback” of hard-won rights and benefits gained over the years.

“I am here to stand up with you and fight with you,” Ford said to resounding applause.

It was an all-or-nothing set of circumstances for Ford. He announced two weeks ago that he would not seek re

election to his 8th District state House seat after nine terms. There were, however, signs that Davis favored Ford; in June he was an extended guest on Davis’ Zoom town hall meeting.

By last week, it was clear Ford was Davis’ pick.

Asked Monday morning what he might not choose to say in his public comments Thursday, Ford responded, “That’s a good question,” then hesitated before adding, “I’m still working on (a speech).”

“But what I might not say is ‘I’m much like Danny Davis,’” he said, letting out a quick laugh, perhaps self-conscious at the thought of any similarity with someone who has been a fixture on the Chicago political scene generally, and an iconic touchstone to the West Side of Chicago’s Black community for more than half-century.

However, Ford was serious.

“I think that I have a lot of Danny Davis’ philosophy. He’s independent and I’m independent,” Ford said. “I won by beating the party. I beat Calvin Giles, (who) was supported by all the Democrats.”

“And I continue to keep the public as the focus. I think my strength, like Danny’s strength, besides the Lord, is the love for the people.”

Ford steps up to the microphone after receiving Davis’ endorsement.

In 2006, Ford upset Giles, a seven-term incumbent, despite Giles’ significant financial assistance from then-House Speaker Michael Madigan and other establishment Democrats, including then-Cook County Board President Todd Stroger and an array of Chicago Democrats. The bulk of Ford’s funding came from $170,000 in personal loans he made to his campaign.

Seventh District congressional hopefuls Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins, who Davis endorsed for mayor; and former Davis Chief of Staff and former Cook County Board 1st District Commissioner Richard Boykin were absent from Thursday’s announcement.

Reached for comment, Hoskins, who is in his second term as mayor of Forest Park, said he had no comment on the news except to say, “I’m going to focus on my race.”

Hoskins, who along with Boykin, Conyears-Ervin and Ford, has been elected to public office. He also has been through a grueling political campaign. In 2012, while a Forest Park trustee, he ran against then-Proviso District 209 School Board President Emanuel “Chris” Welch for 7th District state representative. After a 36-vote difference triggered a partial recount. Welch, who would go on to be elected Speaker of the Illinois House eight years later, was declared the winner of the four-way primary by 43 votes – three-tenths of 1 percent.

Welch said Davis was a role model and mentor to him and other leaders for decades.

“Whether as an Alderman for the City of Chicago, Commissioner for the Cook County Board or a United States Congressman, he has always fought for the little guy and making sure folks had a second chance,” Welch said in a statement. “I’m thankful for his leadership, counsel, and guidance in my role as Speaker. We value Congressman Danny Davis’s service as a strong voice for working people and diverse communities in Washington and within our Democratic Party of Illinois as a member of the State Central Committee.

“Those are the same values that have been central to my work as Speaker of the House in Springfield and as the Committeeman of the Democratic Party of Proviso where I’ve worked to bring people together, to increase participation, and to elect strong Democrats up and down the ballot who will fight for us.

 “Congressman Davis’s work on behalf of Illinois Democrats must continue.  The new challenges we face demand strong leadership, winning coalitions, and the will to fight to  make people’s lives a little easier. It’s my intention to do just that, by seeking to serve as Democratic State Central Committeeman for the 7th District.”

 Welch announced State Central Committee endorsements from: Congressman Davis, Democratic Party of Illinois Chair Lisa Hernandez, and Democratic leaders Chicago Ald. Walter Burnett, former Committeeman Darlena Williams Burnett, state Rep. Jawaharial “Omar” Williams, Chicago Alderwoman Emma Mitts, state Reps. Kam Buckner and La Shawn Ford, former state Comptroller Dan Hynes, Bellwood Mayor Andre Harvey, Hillside Mayor Joe Tamburino, Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson, and Maywood Mayor Nathaniel Booker.