Illinois
Crowded race for Illinois’ 7th Congressional District
CHICAGO (CBS) — Tuesday is Election Day in Illinois. One of the big races to watch is Illinois’ 7th Congressional District. Congressman Danny Davis, who holds the seat, is being challenged by several candidates saying the South and West sides need a fresh face and a fresh start to bring fresh dollars and ideas to struggling neighborhoods.
CBS 2 started by asking Davis about Americans’ abysmal approval ratings of Congress today.
“I think it’s a tough time to be a public official,” he said.
Davis has been one for 45 years. If he wins re-election, he will have secured 30 years in the House of Representatives.
His 7th Congressional District is almost in the shape of a seven, with Westchester to the west, the Loop to the east, and Englewood to the south.
And from all directions, he has challengers. Chief among them is activist Kina Collins, who came within six points of unseating Davis in the last election.
She said she does not believe the race is about age.
“This is about the inaction in the district,” she said.
City of Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin is another challenger.
“We are not feeling the resources on the West and South sides of Chicago,” she said. “That’s what I want to change.”
They say change is overdue as the South and West sides suffer.
Davis believes his record is a winning one, and his seniority is an asset.
“I am a very effective leader and politician,” he said. “It has nothing to do with how fast I can run.”
“Ask the residents on the South and West sides of Chicago what have we received from that seniority,” Conyears-Ervin said.
“Issues like public safety, for example,” said Collins. Illinois 7 holds 26% of all gun violence in the State of Illinois. Not only am I a survivor and a public policy expert in that field, I was tapped by the Biden/Harris administration to serve on their transition team and advise their senior policy members on common sense gun safety law.”
“The people know me. They trust me,” said Davis. “They know that I have led well. They know that I’ve never experienced a scandal.”
Conyears-Ervin can’t make that claim. Last year, the city’s board of ethics voted that she violated ethics rules regarding her fiduciary duty and unauthorized use of city property. It stems from a $100,000 settlement the city came to with two former employees of Conyears-Ervin in the treasurer’s office, claiming she made employees plan her daughter’s birthday party and run errands.
“The complaints from four years ago, not only do they misrepresent the office of the city treasurer, they certainly misrepresent me,” she said.
When we pressed her recently on whether she would challenge the findings, she would not answer after repeated efforts.
Conyears-Ervin: As I mentioned to you, if you need some more information, we will provide it because I’ve answered this.
Chris Tye: Well, but you’re the candidate. You’re sitting right in front of me. Can’t you give me that answer?
Conyears-Ervin: I’ve already answered it.
“I’m stunned that she’s in this race,” said Collins. “She should step down as our city treasurer.
“Your interests should be that of the public, not of the self,” said Davis.
The treasurer’s campaign later said she is challenging the findings. She said the investigation does not change who she is and what she would bring to the job.
“Change cannot wait,” she said. “So I truly believe that it’s the timing, the urgency, that we cannot wait for change. Washington is not working. And it certainly is not working for working families.”
Collins has never held elected office but said that should not mean she does not have sufficient background and experience.
“I will push back on that,” she said. “I have written statewide policy reaching across the aisle in the Illinois General Assembly when I co-authored Illinois Council on Women and Girls Act, which talked about protecting reproductive healthcare, closing the pay wage equity gap.”
“I don’t think many are listening to those I call the great pretenders,” Davis said, referring to Collins and Conyears-Ervin. “Those who pretend that they have done things that you can’t find any record of them having done them.”
With just days left, the candidates shared their final messages to voters.
“As the only working mother and financial expert in this race, I’ve lived here my entire life,” said Conyears-Ervin. “I know what our young people are experiencing, and I relate to them. This is why I say change cannot wait.”
“Public safety is the No. 1 issue, whether we’re talking about Westchester, Illinois, or West Englewood, which all lie within our district. People want the ability to walk their communities.”
“I operate with my mind,” said Davis. “And that’s what I think it takes to help shape the world: people with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.”
Two other candidates are running on the Democratic side–Nikhil Bhatia, a teacher and principal, and Kouri Marshall, who worked for Gov. JB Pritzker. Republican Chad Koppie is running unopposed.
Millions of asylum seekers have been impacted as caseloads have grown
A general crackdown on immigration courts the administration sees as liberal has led to the firing of dozens of immigration judges.
Recent polls show President Donald Trump’s approval ratings continue to dip as the war in Iran endures and national gas prices float above $4.
One such poll conducted by CNN/SSRS illustrates widespread upset among Americans with regards to Trump’s handling of the economy and inflation. Here’s how Trump’s approval ratings look nationally and within Illinois, as of April 20.
Donald Trump approval rating: CNN
Only 31% of Americans approve of how Trump is handling the economy, compared to 39% in January 2026, according to the poll.
The decline in approval on the issue is even higher among Republicans, especially Republicans under 45 years old, according to CNN.
In the poll, President Donald Trump received his worst approval rating yet in either of his two terms on the economy.
CNN findings show about two-thirds of Americans say Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions, and 27% say they approve of Trump’s handling of inflation.
CNN also reported 63% of Americans say the prices at the pump have caused financial hardship in their household, including 15% calling it “severe.”
The poll, conducted March 26-30 among 1,201 U.S. adults, found 35% approve of Trump’s job performance overall. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
One poll respondent told CNN and the pollster about the most important issue facing the country: “Prices! Everything is so expensive. Makes it very difficult to do anything other than work and go home. Trips to the grocery store are ridiculous! Between gas and grocery prices, we are poor!”
Trump addressed the concerns about gas prices in his address to the nation on April 1, saying the Strait of Hormuz would reopen when the conflict was over and the prices would fall again.
Trump reaffirmed his promise about the strait on April 18, saying his administration had “very good conversations going on” with Iran after the country said the strait would not be reopened.
Donald Trump approval rating in Illinois: Civiqs
Trump’s job approval rating in Illinois, as of April 18, according to data from online survey platform Civiqs, is as follows:
- Approve — 32%.
- Disapprove — 65%.
- Neither — 4%.
Donald Trump national approval rating: Civiqs
Trump’s national approval rating as of April 13, according to data from Civiqs, is as follows:
- Approve — 39%.
- Disapprove — 57%.
- Neither — 4%.
Donald Trump approval rating in Illinois: The Economist
Trump has a -36% net approval rating in Illinois as of April 20, according to data from The Economist.
Donald Trump national approval rating: The Economist
Trump’s national approval rating as of April 20, according to data from The Economist, is as follows:
- Approve — 38%.
- Disapprove — 56%.
- Don’t know — 7%.
Trump, Iran War approval rating: Pew Research Center
A Pew Research study conducted in mid-March found that about six-in-ten Americans (61%) approve of Trump’s handling of the conflict in Iran, with 39% approving.
A report released in early April found that the largest concern for most Americans as a result of the conflict is higher gas prices, with 69% saying they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the issue.
Other Trump approval rating polls as of April 20
Here is a look at some other polling aggregators to understand how CNN/SSRS’s poll compares to the average Trump approval numbers as of April 20:
RealClearPolitics Poll Average: 41.2% approve, 56.6% disapprove.
The New York Times: 40% approve, 56% disapprove.
Silver Bulletin: 39.7% approve, 56.4% disapprove.
Which president has the lowest approval rating ever?
Although Trump has dropped to a historic low in approval rating polls this term so far, he hit a 34% low in the first term and other recent presidents such as Joe Biden hit a 36% low, Barack Obama hit a 40% low, George W. Bush hit a 25% low and Bill Clinton hit a 37% low, according to the Gallup polls, whose recorded lowest rating was Harry Truman with 22%.
As for the highest presidential approval ratings, George W. Bush holds the highest approval rating ever recorded at 90%, while his father, George H. Bush holds the second highest at 89%.
Trump is the only president that has not reached a 50% or higher approval to date in the Gallup polls’ history.
CENTRALIA, Ill. – An investigation is underway after multiple people were shot Sunday in Centralia, Illinois, according to a report from WFCN News in southern Illinois.
FOX 2 has confirmed the Illinois State Police is investigating a shooting and taking over the investigation, but ISP could not confirm many further details as of 9 p.m. Sunday.
“The investigation is in its infancy and to protect the integrity of the investigation, no additional details will be released at this time,” ISP said in a statement to FOX 2.
According to WFCN News, the shooting happened around 5 p.m. near the 900 block of East Kell Street in Centralia. Multiple law enforcement agencies have since responded to scene and multiple victims are hospitalized, according to the report.
It’s unclear how many people may have been injured and what led up to the shooting.
Centralia, Illinois is about 70 miles, or just over an hour, east of St. Louis.
This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.
The National Weather Service has teams of storm surveryors in the field April 18 investigating several reports of severe storms and tornado touch downs across eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois and northeast Missouri.
According to the weather service’s website, windgusts of up to 60 to 70 mph along with teacup-sized hail and several tornadoes were reported April 17.
Many homes and outbuildings were damaged, trees were uprooted and power lines were downed in Lena, Illinois, where the most significant damage occurred, the site pointed out.
Very strong winds also were reported near Washington, Iowa, and Colmar, Illinois, where several outbuildings and grain bins were destroyed.
The weather service received reports of confirmed and possible tornadoes in the areas of Lena, Pecatonica, Shirland, Rockton, Roscoe and Capron.
The teams will be assessing damage this weekend into next week along with county emergency management teams to determine what types of storms occurred and their paths.
Dozens of power outages were reported, as well.
As of the afternoon of April 18, ComEd was reporting 85 active power outages across northern Illinois, down from 241 on April 17, and 6,751 customers affected, down from more than 18,000.
The bulk of those outages and the most customers impacted are concentrated in Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties.
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