WASHINGTON — In the 7th congressional district Democratic primary — where Melissa Conyears-Ervin and Kina Collins are the frontrunners seeking to oust Rep. Danny Davis — Conyears-Ervin won the endorsement Wednesday of one of the most significant political players in the city, the Chicago Teachers Union.
The CTU political operation bankrolled Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign for City Hall and turned out votes for him. The union is a powerful player in his administration.
That the progressive CTU is taking sides in this race — where Davis and Collins are staunch progressives — will have important impact only if it translates into raising money for Conyears-Ervin, the Chicago city treasurer, and boosting turnout for her in the March19 primary.
Unlike Johnson’s City Hall bid, the CTU political team just can’t write giant checks for Conyears-Ervin’s war chest because congressional candidates are subject to federal campaign contribution caps.
Getting around the caps — which bar an individual from donating more than $3,300 for the primary, often entails the use of so-called independent expenditure committees, which so far have not surfaced in this primary. Money from independent expenditure groups to help Collins and Davis were a factor in 2022, when Davis beat back Collins’ challenge.
In a statement the Conyears-Ervin campaign provided to the Sun-Times, CTU president Stacy Davis Gates said, “We are proud to endorse Melissa Conyears-Ervin in the 7th Congressional District. She’s a working mother who has lived her entire life in this district and seen decades of failure to invest in Black and Brown neighborhoods firsthand. We know that she’ll prioritize our public schools, affordable housing, lowering costs for working families, and making the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes.”
In the heavily Democratic 7th district, winning the March 19 primary is tantamount to clinching the seat in November.
The district is politically rooted on the West Side, with a leg on the near South Side, taking in parts of Bronzeville and Washington Park. It runs west from parts of Chicago’s downtown to the western suburbs, including Maywood, Oak Park, Hillside and Bellwood.
Conyears-Ervins targets The Strokes fundraising concert for Collins
Collins is counting on a fundraising bonanza from a March 8 concert featuring The Strokes at the Credit Union 1 Arena to bankroll crucial field operations and digital marketing drives.
On Wednesday, lawyers for Conyears-Ervin asserted in a letter to The Strokes lawyers and to legal counsel for the University of Illinois Chicago, which owns the arena, that the Collins camp may be violating federal laws dealing with campaign fundraising, which is tightly regulated in congressional campaigns.
Among the issues raised by Conyears-Ervin‘s lawyers: whether would-be ticket buyers “understand how their funds will be used” and whether, for a person buying multiple tickets, they are unwittingly skirting campaign finance laws banning contributions “made in the name of another.” People who buy tickets for The Strokes, a Grammy Award-winning indie rock band, are actually making a campaign contribution to the Collins campaign, and will be listed as donors on her Federal Election Commission report if the giving exceeded $200.
Collins told the Sun-Times in an email, “The Conyears-Ervin campaign’s attempt to put a stop to our campaign’s benefit concert with The Strokes is a clear indication that her campaign is floundering.
”...We have followed all FEC regulations for our March 8th event. We are proud of the thousands of grassroots supporters rallying behind my candidacy and proud to have the trust and encouragement from The Strokes.”
Collins said some 7,000 people are expected at the concert, which could generate about $600,000 in gross contributions, netting the campaign less after hefty expenses. The expenses of the band will be covered, but they are not charging a fee.
