CHICAGO — Although state Rep. Monique Davis doesn't plan to announce until Tuesday afternoon whether she'll run for the 2nd Congressional District seat, she already is shooting barbs at potential opponent state Sen. Donne Trotter.
Trotter, D-17th, who said he will run, was arrested last week after security at O'Hare Airport found an unloaded gun and bullets in his carry-on bag.
Davis, D-27th, said that mistake should weigh heavily among voters.
"Who forgets they have a gun in their bag? As a legislator you have to be thinking at all times, and obviously, Sen. Trotter was not thinking when he left home that day," Davis said.
Davis said she will meet with a group of South Side ministers Tuesday before deciding whether to run for the seat vacated by Jesse Jackson Jr.
"I am meeting with a coalition of ministers ... who are in support of me running for Congress, and once I see what kind of support I have out there, I will make my decision," Davis told DNAinfo.com Chicago. "Integrity needs to be restored to this seat."
The South Side Democrat, who wouldn't provide the names of ministers she plans to meet with, said if she decides to run she would announce it at a formal news conference.
Cook County Democrats are scheduled to meet Saturday to select a candidate to endorse for the Feb. 26 special Democratic primary. The general election is scheduled for April 9.
Ald. Sandi Jackson (7th) has said that she, too, has not ruled out a run to replace her husband, who resigned Nov. 21 amid a federal investigation into his campaign spending and health concerns.
"Sandi has gone through a lot of uproar in her life lately, and she certainly has a right to run," Davis said. "She has been away from her children, her family and her office as she helps her husband through a difficult time, and I for one, understand the pressure this must have added to her life."
So far eight candidates are running for the seat in the 2nd Congressional District, which stretches from the South Side to Kankakee. Davis said voters should consider each candidate's record before making a decision.
Chicago attorney Sam Adam Jr., who said he is considering a run for the seat, was the only person Davis credited with a track record of getting things done.
"People should look at their neighborhoods to see if they are up to par. Which candidates have a record of improving communities, creating jobs and helping people? Don't just pick anybody like some horse race," Davis said.
"My record speaks for itself. I have a long history of passing meaningful legislation that protects, builds and strengthens communities," she said.
Among her accomplishments in the state Legislature, she credits herself and former state Sen. Barack Obama for helping to pass the Video Confession Bill, which requires that all confessions involving criminal suspects be videotaped.
Other Democratic candidates for the 2nd Congressional District seat include Ald. Anthony Beale (9th); state Sen. Toi Hutchinson, D-40th; former U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson; newly elected state Sen. Napoleon Harris, D-15th; and Cook County administrator Robin Kelly. Former U.S. Rep. Mel Reynolds, whom Jackson replaced in 1995 as congressman for the 2nd Congressional District, is also a candidate, as is the Rev. Anthony Williams, who has run unsuccessfully for the 2nd District seat six times.
