Congressman Danny Davis says he’s backing the campaign of Clerk of Courts Dorothy Brown. That brought swift reactions from some of Brown’s opponents in the Democratic race for Cook County Board President.
Davis himself was a candidate for county board president until last month, when he decided to instead seek another term in Congress. He’s now backing Brown, he says, because of her credentials and opinion polls showing her in first place.
The congressman recently praised the work of incumbent board president Todd Stroger, but implied Thursday that Stroger should look at the opinion polls, and drop out of the race. In a statement, Stroger’s campaign manager said Davis’ endorsement of Brown will divide the African American community, which is what Davis had said he was trying to avoid when he dropped his own campaign.
Water Reclamation Chair Terry O’Brien’s campaign called Davis’ decision a “snub,” but says O’Brien was not surprised.
A fourth candidate, Chicago Alderman Toni Preckwinkle, released a statement never mentioning Davis’ endorsement of Brown. Preckwinkle instead touted her own endorsement from another Chicago congressman, Luis Gutierrez.