Artur Davis

Artur Genestre Davis (born October 9, 1967) is an American attorney and former politician who served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives for Alabama's 7th congressional district from 2003 to 2011.

Davis was born in Montgomery, Alabama, on October 9, 1967, and was raised by his mother and grandmother.

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 graduated from Jefferson Davis High School and then magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1990.

He earned a J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School before returning to Alabama.

He was the recipient of the Best Oralist Award in the Ames Moot Court Competition at Harvard Law School.

After working as an intern at the Southern Poverty Law Center and then as a civil rights lawyer.

he served as an Assistant United States Attorney.

Davis ran for the House in the Democratic primary against 10-year incumbent and former civil rights activist Earl F. Hilliard.

He criticized Hilliard for taking a trip to Libya in 1997 despite U.S. sanctions.

Davis lost the 2000 primary election 58–34%.

Davis ran again in 2002.

The race attracted national attention because both candidates made the Israeli–Palestinian conflict an issue, and both attracted support and money from outside of Alabama—Davis from Jewish Americans and supporters of Israel, Hilliard from Arab-Americans and supporters of the Palestinians.

During the campaign, Hilliard questioned whether Davis was "black enough" to represent the district.

Davis narrowly won the primary requiring a runoff in June.

He won the runoff easily, assuring him victory in November in the heavily Democratic district, and he began his term in January 2003.

Davis was challenged in the 2004 primary by Albert Turner Jr., a son of a leader of Selma's "Bloody Sunday" march.

Davis won the primary 88%–12%.

In the Democratic primary, he defeated political newcomer Eddison Walters 90–9%.

He won the general election unopposed.

In January 2007, Davis said that he was still interested in running on a statewide ticket in 2010, either for Governor, or for Senate if Richard Shelby elected to retire.

In 2007 he became the first Congressman outside Illinois to endorse Senator Barack Obama for president in 2008.

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.

The stature of that appointment, and the difficulty of raising sufficient funds, led Davis to postpone plans to challenge conservative Senator Jeff Sessions in 2008.

At the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Davis gave a seconding speech formally placing Obama's name in nomination.

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.

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.

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.

Shortly after, Davis announced he would not be running for re-election to the House in 2010, instead returning to the practice of law.

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.

In the new Democratically controlled 110th Congress, Davis was assigned to the Committee on Ways and Means.

He considered running for Congress as a Republican in the 2014 House elections in Virginia but did not do so.

He rejoined the Democratic Party in 2015, switched to the Republican Party again in 2016, and then back to the Democrats in 2017, in his two attempts to be elected Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama in the 2015 and 2019 elections, losing both times.

He was defeated in his two attempts to be elected Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama in the 2015 and 2019 mayoral elections.