Artur Davis
Artur Genestre Davis (born October 9, 1967) is an American attorney and politician. Davis 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 is running for Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama in the 2015 election. 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 surrender his gavel in the wake of ethics charges. 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. Davis changed his party affiliation to the Republican Party in 2012. 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 and Harvard Law School, 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 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 is currently running for Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama in the 2015 election.