Davis, Artur, 1967-

DAVIS, Artur, a Representative from Alabama; born in Montgomery, Montgomery County, Ala., on October 9, 1967; graduated from Jefferson Davis High School, Montgomery, Ala.; B.A., Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., 1990; J.D., Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., 1993; lawyer, private practice; clerk, Judge Myron Thompson, Middle District of Alabama, 1993-1994; Assistant United States Attorney, Middle District of Alabama, 1994-1998; elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Eighth and to the three succeeding Congresses (January 3, 2003-January 3, 2011); not a candidate for reelection to the One Hundred Twelfth Congress in 2010; unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Alabama in 2010.

<p>Hailing from a poor Montgomery, Alabama, neighborhood, Artur Davis used his academic prowess to earn two Harvard degrees and to launch a political career that brought him to the U.S. House of Representatives. Elected in 2002, Davis built a reputation as an independent advocate for economic opportunities for low–income Americans, especially attuned to the needs of his constituents. "I think I've always been able to overcome obstacles, overcome odds," Davis said, shortly after winning his first election to the U.S. House. "That's why I refuse to accept [that] the Black Belt has to lag behind the rest of our state."</p>

<p>Artur Davis was born on October 9, 1967, in Montgomery, Alabama. After his parents divorced, he was raised in the west end of Montgomery by his mother, Arthur–May Davis, a schoolteacher and his grandmother, Matty Frier. He attended the city public schools, graduating from Jefferson Davis High School. In 1990, Davis earned a B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard University and, three years later, graduated with a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Davis immediately began positioning himself for a career in politics. He clerked for Judge Myron Thompson—one of the first African–American judges appointed to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. Appointed as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the same district in 1994, Davis served in that capacity until 1999, when he left to make his first run for Congress. On January 1, 2009, he married Tara Johnson.</p>

<p>In the 2000 election campaign, Davis challenged five–term incumbent Earl F. Hilliard in the Democratic primary for a district that represented portions of Birmingham and Tuscaloosa as well as low–income agricultural counties in west–central Alabama that were part of the "Black Belt," so called for its dark, fertile soils. Hilliard prevailed with a 58 percent majority. Two years later, however, Hilliard ran into political trouble over perceptions of his lack of influence in the House and criticisms by pro–Israel groups that he favored the Palestinian cause. Davis again challenged Hilliard in the Democratic primary, this time with support from the mayors of Birmingham and Selma. In a three–way contest, Hilliard failed to win an outright majority. In the run–off, Davis claimed 56 percent of the vote. In the general election, running against a third party candidate, Davis commanded 92 percent of the vote. In his subsequent re–election campaigns, Davis won 75 percent of the vote in 2004 and faced no major party opposition in 2006 or 2008.</p>

<p>Artur Genestre Davis (1967- ) represented Alabama's Seventh Congressional District in the U.S. Congress from 2003 until 2011. He made an unsuccessful run for governor in 2010, losing in the Democratic primary to Ron Sparks, the commissioner of agriculture. Davis left the Democratic Party after that loss and aligned himself with the Republicans.</p>

<p>Artur Davis (pronounced AR-tur) was born in Montgomery, Montgomery County, on October 9, 1967. Davis was raised by his divorced mother, who taught French, and his grandmother, his father having left the family when Artur was two. After graduating from Montgomery's Jefferson Davis High School in 1986, Davis attended Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and graduated magna cum laude in 1990; he then earned a law degree with honors from the Harvard Law School in 1994. During law school, he interned for Alabama Democratic senator Howell T. Heflin, U.S. District Court judge Myron Thompson, and the Southern Poverty Law Center. After graduating in 1994, Davis was employed as an assistant U.S. attorney from 1994 to 1998 and then had a brief stint with a Birmingham, Jefferson County, law firm.</p>

<p>In 2000, Davis entered the race for Alabama's Seventh Congressional District, which encompasses much of west-central Alabama, including the cities of Birmingham, Selma, and Tuscaloosa. Heavily Democratic and majority African American, it was represented by Democrat Earl F. Hilliard, who was notably the first African American elected to Congress from Alabama since Reconstruction. Davis fell five percentage points short of defeating Hilliard, but emboldened, Davis challenged Hilliard again, in 2002. The race proved to be very contentious. Hilliard openly questioned whether the younger, lighter-skinned, and Harvard-educated Davis was "black enough" to represent the district and accused him of accepting campaign contributions from Republican supporters and out-of-state donors. Davis in turn pointed out Hilliard's poor legislative record, ethics violations, and a controversial trip to Libya after Congress had banned travel to the country. The strongly pro-Israel Davis also exploited the fact that Hilliard had accepted money from the Arab American Leadership Political Action Committee, voted against increasing U.S. military aid to Israel, and voted against resolutions condemning acts of terror committed by Palestinian nationals. Hilliard, however, was able to rally notable figures such as Martin Luther King III, activist Al Sharpton, and actor Danny Glover to campaign on his behalf. Davis, though lacking support from civil rights organizations, benefited from redistricting that had separated Hilliard from some of his supporters and had brought in more white voters. In a runoff, Davis won with 56 percent of the vote, making him one the few challengers to win a seat in that election cycle.</p>

<p>Artur Genestre Davis (born October 9, 1967) is an American attorney and politician who served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives for Alabama's 7th congressional district from 2003 to 2011. He was also a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Alabama in the 2010 election. After losing in the primary, he moved to Virginia and joined the Republican Party. He was defeated in his attempt to be elected Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama in the 2015 election.</p>

<p>Davis was an early supporter of Barack Obama's 2008 bid for the presidency, and one of the national co-chairs for Obama's 2008 campaign. Known for his oratorical skills, Davis made one of the nominating speeches for Obama at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. While serving on the House Ways and Means Committee, Davis was the first African-American member of Congress to advocate that Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel give up the chairmanship of the tax committee in the wake of ethics charges against Rangel. In 2009 and 2010 Davis, voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the only member of the Congressional Black Caucus to do so.</p>

<p>In 2009, Davis sought to become Alabama's first African-American Governor. In attempting to appeal to a broader electorate, he lost the support of black voters by opposing national health care reform and failing to meet with certain black political groups. He lost in the Democratic primary to Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks, a more liberal Democrat.</p>

<p>Shortly after, Davis announced he would not be running for re-election to the House in 2010, instead returning to the practice of law. He subsequently moved to Virginia and joined the Republican Party. A 1990s honors graduate of Harvard University, in 2012 Davis became a visiting fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics. He also began writing a column for the conservative National Review. He considered running for Congress as a Republican in the 2014 House elections in Virginia but did not do so. A resident of Virginia from 2011 until 2014, Davis spoke at the 2012 Republican National Convention in support of the Republican nominee for President, Mitt Romney. He was defeated in his two attempts to be elected Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama in the 2015 and 2019 mayoral elections.</p>