Davis Chooses Congress Over Cook County Prez

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Nov 9, 2009 3:20PM

With today being the drop deadline for next year's elections, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis has announced he will forgo a run at Cook County Board President and instead focus on getting re-elected to his current position, Congressman of Illinois' 7th District, and office he has held since 1996.

There had been some controversy in the Cook County Board race as some black leaders expressed concerns over the possibility that Davis and three other black candidates - incumbent Todd Stroger, 4th Ward Alderman Toni Preckwinkle, and Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County Dorothy Brown - would split the black vote in February primaries, clearing the way for Terrence J. O'Brien, president of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, to win the Democrat primary. Regardless of race, with Davis' exit and Brown's ongoing issues, it seems to be a three-way contest between Stroger, Preckwinkle, and O'Brien. Meanwhile, Davis has his hands full with 10 other competitors in the Democratic primary for his 7th CD spot.