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CHICAGO — In a significant development for Illinois’ 7th Congressional District, LaShawn Ford has been declared the winner of the Democratic nomination, as reported by the Associated Press.
This district, a diverse region, encompasses parts of downtown Chicago, as well as areas on the South and West sides of the city, extending into the western suburbs.
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Ford emerged victorious from a crowded field of 13 Democratic candidates vying to succeed the retiring Congressman Danny Davis, who has held the seat for three decades.
Despite securing the endorsement of Davis, Ford, a 54-year-old Illinois state representative, encountered a hiccup while casting his vote at his West Side polling station on Tuesday morning.
Upon checking in, Ford discovered a glitch with the electronic voting machine, which mistakenly indicated he had already voted. Resolving the issue took nearly an hour, as it involved intervention from the Board of Elections’ legal team to address what seemed to be a technical error.
Ford, who has been a state representative for nearly 20 years, eventually voted with a paper ballot after declining a provisional ballot.
“I was fortunate to be able to move things around and stay there and protect my vote, because imagine anyone else that had to get to the office or go to work or have some other duties that they had to tend to, they couldn’t stay an hour,” Ford said.
Ford ran on a platform of affordability, vowing to work to lower healthcare costs and protect Medicare and Social Security for seniors, as well as Medicaid for the vulnerable.
“I pledge to all of you and the congressman that your legacy will be protected. Your legacy will be built on,” Ford said while speaking to supporters on Tuesday night. “Take care of the people from bottom… This campaign all about the people at the bottom.”
The crowded field of candidates also included Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, who was endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union. This was her second time running for the nomination.
Community organizer Kina Collins made her fourth run for the nomination.
Real estate developer Jason Friedman raised $2.5 million, which is the most money in the race and more than triple than his closest competitor.
Anthony Driver, Richard Boykin, and Dr. Thomas Fisher were also among the candidates.
There was a flood of PAC money that made its way into this race, and things got pretty negative in terms of the advertising.
Some of those ads highlighted Ford’s past legal issues involving felony bank fraud charges that were later dropped. Though, he did plead guilty in 2014 to a single misdemeanor tax count.
Ford was defiant on stage, saying, “they’ve been trying to put me in jail for years.”
Afterward, he told ABC7 that the voters rejected that PAC money and instead voted for ideas.
On the Republican side of the race, Chad Koppie and Patricia Easley squared off. The Associated Press projects Koppie will win the Republican primary.
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