La Shawn K. Ford wins Illinois Seventh District primary

A retiring congressman's blessing carried a state legislator past a stacked field to lock down a deep-blue Chicago district.

Ford's path through a crowded primary

• La Shawn K. Ford beat several heavyweight Democrats.
• Davis personally endorsed Ford as his successor.
• Conyears-Ervin got millions from an AIPAC-linked PAC.
• Richard Boykin and Jason Friedman also competed.

Policy talk and baggage on the trail

• Ford pushed to abolish ICE entirely.
• Cheaper child care and housing were key pitches.
• His 2014 federal misdemeanor tax plea resurfaced.
• Probation was the sentence he received back then.

The Seventh District's quirky political geography

• Democrats drew the map to favor their party.
• Its crane-like shape spans Chicago's South and West Sides.
• Western suburbs get scooped into the boundary.
• Black residents form a plurality of the population.

Black representation hangs on November's outcome

• Every congressperson from this seat since the 1970s has been Black.
• Ford winning would keep that streak alive.
• Hispanic, white, and Asian communities share the district.
• Chad Koppie snagged the GOP nod again.