Illinois State Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Black Democrat vying to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Danny Davis in Congress, has won a crowded primary after weathering big spending from the pro-Israel and cryptocurrency lobbies for his main opponent.
The incumbent-endorsed Catholic Chicagoan bested a dozen other candidates in the much-anticipated 7th district battleground race, which made headlines for the millions spent in favor of city treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin in a losing effort. Ford won with nearly 24% of the vote, declaring victory as Conyears-Ervin conceded late Tuesday evening.
“Thank you to every volunteer, supporter, and donor who stood with this campaign. Your hard work, your belief, and your commitment made this possible,” Ford said, speaking of himself as the presumptive winner of this fall’s midterm general election for the solid blue seat.
“As your next Congressman, I will continue to fight for our communities every day.”
BREAKING: Democrat La Shawn Ford, who faced a massive spending deficit thanks to AIPAC and the crypto lobby backing his opponent Melissa Conyears-Ervin, is getting his own kudos from the Israel lobby and looks to be the next Black Catholic headed to Congress. https://t.co/jBDzTZ0Nxd
— Nate Tinner-Williams (@natemup) March 18, 2026
Ford, who has served in the Illinois House since 2007, ran primarily on name recognition and a populist platform centering affordability and public safety, receiving endorsements from several major unions, community advocacy groups, and a laundry list of state officials. He was also endorsed by J Street, a left-leaning pro-Israel group that did battle in several races on Tuesday with the more hardline American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
AIPAC, through a shell PAC scheme intended to hide their influence, funneled roughly $5 million into negative ad buys against Ford, who in turn presented himself as the victim of disproportionate outside spending. Conyears-Ervin was also backed by the pro-crypto Fairshake super PAC, which spent some $2.5 million on ads attacking Ford for his support of industry regulations in the state legislature.
The 54-year-old Ford is part of a new generation of Illinois Democrats likely headed to Washington, with seven under the age of 65 winning primaries this week. Their ideological persuasion is less revolutionary, however, with pro-Israel candidates winning each of the most hotly contested races, behind at least $21 million in total spending from the Israel lobby in the primary cycle.
Ford will be the clear favorite against Republican nominee Chad Koppie in the 7th district general election this fall. Should he win that race, he would become the first African-American Catholic in Congress from Illinois since Carol Moseley Braun, who served as the first African-American woman in the Senate from 1993 to 1999.
The general election will take place Tuesday, Nov. 3, and the early voting registration is Tuesday, Oct. 6 by mail and Sunday, Oct. 18, through the online portal at ova.elections.il.gov. Early voting will begin in late September.
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.
