Danny K. Davis (D)*

Current Job:

Health Care Planner

Birth Date:

September 6, 1941

Religion:

Baptist

Education:

Arkansas AM&N College, BA History and Education
Chicago State University, MA Guidance
Union Institute, PhD Public Administration

Biography:

Danny K. Davis was born in Parkdale, Ark., Davis moved to Chicago two decades later after graduating from what is now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

He received his master's degree from Chicago State University in 1968 and his doctorate from Union Institute in 1977.

In Chicago, he climbed through the political ranks. He served for 11 years on the City Council and then six years on the Cook County Board before being elected to Congress in 1996. He was elected with 82 percent of the vote and has won every election for his seat since.

But Davis knows what it's like to lose an election. He made two unsuccessful primary bids for Congress in the 1980s. And he lost the 1991 primary to be mayor of Chicago.Davis, a deacon at his church, is married to wife, Vera. The couple has two sons.

Profile:

Active in the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressman Danny Davis is among the most liberal members of Congress. He represents a largely black district that is a mix of ritzy areas and poor neighborhoods in Chicago and Cook County.

Davis wasn't deterred even when Republicans controlled Congress. He pushed for legislation intended to help former prison inmates successfully adjust when they're released because it can be difficult for them to find jobs. Davis also has helped former inmates in his district through some of the many workshops he sponsors.

Now part of the majority party in the House, Davis is chairman of one of the subcommittees of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee - the one that deals with the federal workforce and Postal Service.

Outside Congress, Davis has worked as an educator, community organizer, health administrator and civil rights activist, according to his Web site.

Davis serves on the Education and Labor and the Oversight and Government Reform committees.

The American Conservative Union gave Davis' 2007 voting record 0 points out of 100. The liberal Americans for Democratic Action gave him 90 points out of 100.

Campaigns:

This is Danny Davis's sixth re-election campaign for the 7th District.Davis, a former Chicago alderman, ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Chicago against Mayor Richard M. Daley. Davis received 39 percent of the vote in the 1991 primary.Davis unsuccessfully challenged Democratic Rep. Cardiss Collins in the Democratic primaries in 1984 and 1986.He was elected to the U.S. House in 1996, receiving 82 percent of the vote against Republican Randy Borow. He was re-elected in 1998 without major party opposition.He was re-elected with well over 80 percent of the vote in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006.