On Thursday, July 31, Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL-7) announced his retirement. At the conclusion of his final term, Davis will have served 15 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, ending 29-year congressional career that began in 1997. Davis built a legacy as an advocate of civil rights, criminal justice reform, and affordable housing initiatives, representing a district that includes parts of downtown Chicago, the South and West Sides of Chicago, and expanding into the western suburbs.
His retirement opens a competitive Democratic primary in the 2026 election. The outgoing Davis endorsed state Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago) to replace him in Congress. Others vying for the seat include former Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin, Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyers-Ervin, real estate lawyer Jason Friedman, Marine Corps veteran John McCombs, pastor Jerico Brown, Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins, UChicago MBA candidate Danica Leigh, Emelia Washington Soviegn, and Tekita Martinez. Davis is the third Illinois Democrat to announce retirement from Congress this election cycle, joining Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-9) and Sen. Dick Durbin.
Important Upcoming Dates – Statewide
October 14-16 – Veto Session Week 1
October 28-30 – Veto Session Week 2
In the News
The field to succeed US Rep. Danny Davis grows as congressman backs state legislative ally – Chicago Tribune, August 1, 2025.
Saying it was time for new and younger leadership to take over a congressional district he has represented for nearly three decades, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis announced Thursday he wasn’t seeking reelection and endorsed veteran state Rep. La Shawn Ford to succeed him. Ford said Davis’ endorsement was “not just an honor” but “a strong affirmation of our shared mission to uplift and empower the people we serve.”
After death of youth on DCFS radar, IL Republicans call for accountability – The Center Square, July 31, 2025.
Republicans say Gov. J.B. Pritzker has had more than enough time to address continued problems with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Pritzker was asked about continued problems after the case of an 18-year-old who died last year, despite having been on DCFS’s radar.
Jesse Jackson Jr. tops poll – Politico, July 30, 2025.
By the numbers: Jackson dominates the field of seven candidates with 21 percent. Water Reclamation Board Commissioner Yumeka Brown is second with 11 percent, and Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller is at 10 percent, according to the survey. State Sen. Robert Peters, who’s been endorsed by progressive activist David Hogg, is at 4 percent.
State leaders seek more transparency from insurance companies – Capitol News Illinois, July 30, 2025.
Illinois leaders remain frustrated by State Farm’s rate hikes on Illinois homeowners and threatened more state regulation over premium increases in a letter to the editor published Wednesday in the Chicago Tribune. At the same time, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias launched a campaign to push lawmakers to restrict the factors that auto insurance companies can use to set premiums.
Trump administration requests voter data from Illinois elections board – Chicago Sun-Times, July 30, 2025.
The Trump administration has asked Illinois election officials for a copy of the state’s voter registration database, including sensitive data about individual voters and detailed information about the state’s efforts to scrub ineligible voters from the rolls. In a letter dated Monday, July 28, lawyers from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division also asked for a list of all the election officials in Illinois who were responsible for carrying out federally mandated efforts to keep the state’s voter rolls accurate and up to date during a two-year period leading up to the November 2024 elections.
Bipartisan group launches latest effort to remove partisanship from how Illinois legislative boundaries are drawn – Chicago Tribune, July 30, 2025.
The latest effort comes as the current process for redrawing Illinois House and Senate boundaries has received serious scrutiny and follows years of criticism after its adoption as part of the state’s 1970 Constitution. Its reliance on the legislature to formulate and adopt a map has been described as lawmakers choosing their voters rather than voters selecting their representatives in Springfield, resulting in sharp, partisan gerrymandered lines that have produced few contested general election contests as primaries have become the de facto elections.
Governor rejects idea of state-run grocery store; says SNAP changes could cost state $700 million – The Daily Line, July 30, 2025.
The governor rejected the idea of state operated grocery stores to meet the potential food gap. The idea of government run grocery stores has been touted by some progressives like Mayor Brandon Johnson, whose administration has been exploring a city-owned grocery store.
Bipartisan group launches latest effort to remove partisanship from how Illinois legislative boundaries are drawn – Chicago Tribune, July 30, 2025.
For the third time in little more than a decade, a bipartisan group is being formed to launch a voter initiative aimed at amending the Illinois Constitution to try to remove the heavy partisan influence of lawmakers in the once-per-decade redrawing of state legislative boundaries.
State Sen. Mark Walker won’t seek reelection in 2026 – Daily Herald, July 30, 2025.
The Democrat from Arlington Heights did not offer a specific reason for his decision. Instead, he cited some of his successes in Springfield, both in the Senate and in his prior position in the state House. A former banking executive, Walker first served in the state House from 2009 to 2011 and again from 2019 until his Senate appointment last year.
President of Wirepoints strongly considering gubernatorial challenge to Gov. JB Pritzker – CIProud.com, July 29, 2025.
President of the conservative media outlet Wirepoints, Ted Dabrowski, is strongly considering a gubernatorial challenge to two-term incumbent Gov. JB Pritzker for the 2026 election. Potentially running as a Republican, Dabrowski said he’s considering putting his name on the ballot because he’s upset with the direction Illinois is going.
Longtime Congressman Danny Davis to announce he won’t seek reelection Thursday: sources – ABC7 Chicago, July 29, 2025.
Sources have told ABC Chicago that longtime longtime Congressman Danny Davis will announce Thursday that he will not seek reelection. Former Cook County Commissioner and Davis staffer Richard Boykin has already filed paperwork to run for the seat.
Former Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy weighs run for governor – The Pantagraph, July 28, 2025.
The former chair of the Illinois Republican Party confirmed with a reporter that he was actively considering a bid for governor.
Key endorsements shape race for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District – Evanston Round Table, July 29, 2025.
Leading candidates in the crowded Democratic primary race to succeed longtime U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky in Congress have picked up endorsements in recent weeks from major players in the party both locally and nationally.
How one tax change in Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ that even Gov. JB Pritzker supports will work – Chicago Tribune, July 28, 2025
Gov. JB Pritzker and his fellow Democrats have been unrelenting in their criticisms of the tax and spending plan President Donald Trump signed July 4. But along with much-lambasted cuts to Medicaid, food assistance and education, the budget reconciliation plan Republicans pushed through Congress this summer includes a tax change that Democrats as well as some Republicans in high-tax blue states have backed for years.
Cook County Democrats nod to Croke and no-slate decision in Senate race – Chicago Sun-Times, July 25, 2025
According to the 2020 Census, Cook County is 40% white, 26% Latino, 22% Black and 8% Asian. Chicago is 21% of the state’s population. But the statewide ticket recently endorsed by the Cook County Democratic Party is overwhelmingly made up of white Chicagoans (JB Pritzker, Alexi Giannoulias, Mike Frerichs and Margaret Croke), with two Black Chicagoans (Lt. Gov. candidate Christian Mitchell and Kwame Raoul) and no Latinos or Asian Americans.
Federal judge dismisses Trump administration lawsuit challenging Illinois, Chicago sanctuary policies – Chicago Tribune, July 26, 2025
A federal judge in Chicago on Friday blocked the Trump administration’s challenge to policies in the state of Illinois, the city of Chicago and Cook County that limit the powers of state and local police in assisting federal law enforcement on immigration-related matters.
Gov. JB Pritzker open to Democratic remap retaliation if Texas GOP moves lines: ‘Everything is on the table’ – Chicago Sun-Times, July 25, 2025
Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday suggested Illinois and other Democratic-controlled states could respond in kind if Texas Republicans redraw their legislative maps under pressure from President Donald Trump to boost the number of GOP-held seats in Congress.
Illinois lawmakers among highest paid in country, double national average – The Center Square, July 25, 2025
Illinois lawmakers now earn the fourth highest pay rate in the country at $128,000 annually, or more than double the national average. With their latest pay hike, base salaries jumped to $98,000, with per diem and bonuses for leadership and committee positions accounting for the rest of their earnings. Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski is quick to add the growing windfall comes at a time when lawmakers are in session for roughly just 70 days a year.
Kelly leans on experience in Illinois’ Democratic Senate primary – Capitol News Illinois, July 25, 2025
The Democratic primary for Illinois’ open U.S. Senate seat features three of the state’s most notable Democrats, but U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly isn’t worried big spending or endorsements for her opponents will drown out her voice.
Senator Dale Fowler Honors Term Limit Pledge, Will Not Seek Re-Election – Q106.3, July 25, 2025
Illinois State Senator Dale Fowler announced Friday that he will not seek re-election as State Senator of the 59th District fulfilling a commitment he made when first elected in 2016. “During my campaign in 2016, I ran on a pledge of term limits not to serve more than ten years in office, said Senator Fowler. “Today, I am honoring that pledge.”
Republican Mendrick visits to campaign for Governor – Starved Rock Media, July 26, 2025
A Northern Illinois sheriff brought his campaign for Governor to our area Saturday. Republican James Mendrick made stops in Princeton, Ottawa, Streator and Peru to tout his goals to restore law and order, protect families and fix the broken systems holding back Illinois. Mendrick says housing inmates and even undocumented persons is expensive. For that reason Mendrick frowns on Illinois being a sanctuary state.
Chicago’s revenues are up and spending is down, but budget gap still looms – The Daily Line, August 1, 2025.
The City of Chicago has collected more revenue than expected, and cost cutting measures have driven spending down in 2025, according to a mid-year budget report Mayor Brandon Johnson released Wednesday. It’s the first time the city has provided a comprehensive report of revenues and spending through the first half of the year, a requirement added when the City Council passed its 2025 budget.
To plug $1B gap, Team Johnson totes up a list of politically risky tax moves – Crain’s Chicago Business, July 31, 2025.
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s finance team has briefed members of the City Council on potential new or expanded revenue streams. This included changes to hospitality taxes, garbage fees, and the reinstatement of the corporate head tax. Johnson said last week he won’t include a property tax hike in his initial budget. But after months of negotiations, one could still end up in the final plan.
Chicago stands to win — and lose — in the rail industry’s first coast-to-coast merger – Crain’s Chicago Business, August 1, 2025.
Chicago will be at the center of the proposed merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, even though neither of the two big railroads is headquartered here. The deal aims to create the first coast-to-coast railroad, and Chicago is the nation’s busiest freight hub. One-third of the nation’s rail traffic starts, ends or travels through Illinois, most of it in Chicago.
Opinion: Chicago ain’t ready for transit reform — yet – Crain’s Chicago Business, August 1, 2025.
If no changes to the transit governance language are made when the Legislature reconvenes in the fall — and some say the prospects are dim — transit reform will amount to little more than a name change. The replacement of a weak transit oversight agency with a strong one is the perfect opportunity to start making the concept a reality, but only if NITA has the clout to make its plans stick.
Mayor Brandon Johnson weighing corporate head tax, social media ad tax to balance Chicago budget – CBS Chicago, July 30, 2025.
The city of Chicago has a massive $1.1 billion budget gap to fill for 2026, and with Mayor Brandon Johnson promising not to once again pitch a property tax hike – which the City Council unanimously rejected for 2025 – the mayor said Tuesday he’s looking at creative ways to raise tax dollars.
City Colleges head asks Education & Child Development Committee to team with state legislators to overcome cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits – The Daily Line, July 30, 2025.
Salgado asked the committee to work with state legislators to put together a strategy to deal with new Medicaid work requirements that are anticipated. Additionally, Salgado said he will be asking state legislators to approve a plan for the colleges to award bachelor’s degrees to open more opportunities for its students.
Mayor Johnson’s crossroads — budget decisions that will define his financial stewardship of Chicago – Chicago Sun Times, July 29, 2025.
Johnson should have been “more proactive in meeting the moment we knew was coming” when $1.9 billion in federal pandemic relief funds dried up, says Civic Federation President Joe Ferguson, adding, “This is the budget that will define the mayor’s first term.”
Legislator blames housing affordability as Chicago homelessness trends upward – The Center Square, July 29, 2025.
Illinois state Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, is pushing a resolution he drafted to address the city’s growing housing costs as new data reveals the number of homeless individuals across Chicago trending higher. City officials totaled more than 7,452 homeless residents during their most recent point-in-time count for 2025. While that number is down 60% from the 2024 count of nearly 19,000, the 2023 count was at 6,139.
Tech exec Liam Stanton eyes mayoral run – Politico, July 28, 2025.
Liam Stanton, a 38-year old tech entrepreneur from Rogers Park, is considering a run for mayor of Chicago. He calls himself a new breed of young Democrat and while he hasn’t officially announced his campaign, he told reporters that he was lining up support for his campaign with political operatives that worked with former mayor Rahm Emanuel and former President Barack Obama’s teams.
Parking space minimums eliminated in much of Chicago, change aimed at adding housing density – Chicago Tribune, July 28, 2025.
Builders putting residences within a half mile of a Chicago Transit Authority train or within a quarter mile of a bus line will soon no longer need special approval to completely forgo parking spaces. Following the mid-July vote, the new standard appears to cover roughly three-quarters of the city. “It makes it easier to build. It makes it more affordable to build,” lead sponsor Ald. Daniel La Spata, 1st, told the Tribune after the vote.
O’Hare is closing in on passenger traffic record after years of recovery – Crain’s Chicago Business, July 28, 2025
All signs point to O’Hare International Airport finally getting back to peak levels of passenger traffic last seen in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic devastated air travel. The Transportation Security Administration says its agents set a record July 20 for the most passengers ever screened at the airport at 115,962. It also says six of the seven busiest travel days ever have come in June or July.
Mayor Brandon Johnson Says He Won’t Propose Property Tax Hike to Help Fill Projected $1.2B Deficit – WTTW, July 24, 2025
Mayor Brandon Johnson said Thursday he would not propose a property tax hike to help balance the city’s 2026 budget, even as officials prepare to face a likely budget deficit of $1.2 billion during what officials have called one of most difficult budget years in Chicago history.
Derailed: Looming funding cuts to Philadelphia’s transit system offer a lesson for Chicago – Chicago Tribune, July 27, 2025
The rhythmic rumble of the “L” isn’t a death rattle — yet. But Chicago’s public transit systems are set to get gut-punched early next year by a funding deficit in the hundreds of millions of dollars. If state lawmakers don’t agree to allocate more money to public transit, branches on half of the CTA’s “L” lines could go silent. So many bus routes would get slashed that Chicago would have fewer of them than Kansas City. Metra trains could be spaced one or even two hours apart, depending on the day of the week.
