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Don Davis (North Carolina politician)

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Don Davis
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina's 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byG. K. Butterfield
Member of the North Carolina Senate
from the 5th district
In office
January 1, 2013 – January 1, 2023
Preceded byLouis Pate
Succeeded byKandie Smith
In office
January 1, 2009 – January 1, 2011
Preceded byJohn Kerr
Succeeded byLouis Pate
Personal details
Born
Donald Gene Davis

(1971-08-29) August 29, 1971 (age 53)
Snow Hill, North Carolina, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseYuvonka Batts
Education
Occupation
  • Politician
  • educator
WebsiteHouse website
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Air Force
Years of service1994−2001
RankCaptain

Donald Gene Davis (born August 29, 1971)[1] is an American politician and former Air Force officer serving as the United States representative for North Carolina's 1st congressional district since 2023.[2]

As a member of the Democratic Party, he represented the 5th district in the North Carolina Senate from 2013 to 2023. Davis was first elected to the post in 2008, representing Pitt, Wayne, and Greene counties. He was defeated for reelection in 2010, but ran and won a Senate seat for the newly redrawn 5th district in the 2012 election.[3]

Early life and education

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Davis was born and raised in the town of Snow Hill in North Carolina.[4] His mother, grandmother, and great grandmother grew up there.[5] His grandmother helped raise him, while his mother was away at college and worked in Raleigh and Durham.[5]

He attended the United States Air Force Academy, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in 1994.[6] After graduation, he was commissioned into the United States Air Force, serving for eight years and rising to the rank of captain.[7] During his service, Davis was a coordinator of Air Force One operations at Joint Base Andrews.[4]

While in the military, Davis continued his education and obtained a master of science degree from Central Michigan University.[6] He then returned to North Carolina, where he taught and completed a master of arts in sociology and a doctorate in education at East Carolina University.[7]

Early career

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Davis began his teaching career as an assistant professor of aerospace studies at the Air Force ROTC department at East Carolina University starting in 1998.[4] He taught courses in military history, leadership, and national affairs.[7] After being discharged from the Air Force in 2001,[6] Davis continued as an adjunct professor, and taught part-time for fifteen more years while serving in government and finishing his doctorate.[7][5]

In 2001, Davis was elected mayor of Snow Hill. He also served as the chair of the Democratic Party for North Carolina's 1st congressional district. In 2004, he briefly ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1st district but withdrew before the primary.[8] He was reelected as mayor in 2005.[9]

North Carolina Senate

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Elections

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2008–2010

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In 2007, Davis announced his candidacy for the North Carolina's 5th Senate district seat.[10] He was one of six Democratic candidates to compete for the position, which was being vacated by retiring senator John Kerr III. In the May 2008 primary election, Davis received 36% of the vote, the highest among the candidates.[11] However, since he did not secure the 40% required to win outright, he advanced to a runoff against Kathy Taft.[12]

In June 2008, Davis won the Democratic nomination with 63% of the vote in the runoff.[13] He went on to face North Carolina Representative Louis Pate, a Republican from Wayne County, in the general election.[13] Davis defeated Pate, winning 53% of the vote in November 2008. His term as senator for District 5, representing Pitt, Wayne, and Greene counties, began on January 1, 2009.[14] However, in 2010, Davis was defeated by Pate in a rematch of the 2008 election.[15]

2012–2022

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After his defeat in 2010, Davis ran and won a Senate seat for the newly redrawn 5th district in the 2012 election.[3] Davis ran unopposed in 2016. He defeated Pitt County district attorney Kimberly Robb in the 2018 election.[16]

Committee assignments

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Portait as North Carolina State Senator
  • Agriculture, Energy, and Environment
  • Appropriations on Education/Higher Education
  • Education/Higher Education
  • Health Care
  • Redistricting and Elections
  • Rules and Operations of the Senate
  • Select Committee on Nominations
  • Select Committee on Storm Related River Debris and Damage in NC

U.S. House of Representatives

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Elections

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2022

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Main article: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina § District 1

On December 1, 2021, Davis announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives to succeed retiring Democrat G. K. Butterfield.[17] He won the Democratic primary for the 2022 election for North Carolina's 1st congressional district, defeating former state senator Erica D. Smith.[2] In November 2022, Davis won the general election, defeating Republican nominee Sandy Smith.[18]

Tenure

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Davis talking with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin

Davis is a member of the United States House Committee on Agriculture. He supported increased funding in the Farm Bill for better crop insurance and pricing for local farmers. As a member of the Armed Services Committee, he successfully opposed job cuts at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina and supported salary increases for military personnel.[5]

In 2024, Davis secured $13 million for local projects in his district and requested $80 million for future investments. His work brought $15 million in federal housing funds to eastern North Carolina and $300 million in grants for infrastructure projects across the state.[5]

In 2024, Davis invited 109-year-old Cassie Smith from Battleboro, North Carolina to attend the State of the Union Address.[19] That year, he was also the lone Democratic co-sponsor of a bill introduced by Republican representatives Greg Murphy and Brett Guthrie that would limit Medicare's ability to negotiate prices.[20]

Davis voted to provide Israel with support following the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel.[21][22] He was among the House Democrats who voted to censure Representative Rashida Tlaib for her comments about the Israel-Hamas war.[23] In March 2024, Davis, Representative August Pfluger, and a news reporter wrote an opinion piece in the Washington Examiner, which criticized the push by many members of Congress to condition U.S. aid to Israel.[24]

Committee assignments

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Source:[25]

Caucus memberships

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Personal life

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Davis is married to Yuvonka, a kindergarten teacher. They live in Greene County, North Carolina and have three sons.[5] He is Presbyterian and a lay minister.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Rep. Don Davis (R-North Carolina, 1st)". November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Davis wins Democratic primary for 1st Congressional District". WITN. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Wooten, Kimberly (December 1, 2021). "State Senator, former Snow Hill mayor running for Congress, Butterfield seat".
  4. ^ a b c staff, The Hill (November 17, 2022). "North Carolina New Members 2023". The Hill. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Fuller, Bonnie (September 18, 2024). "Greene County native Don Davis focuses on local issues as he runs for another term in Congress". Cardinal & Pine.
  6. ^ a b c "Davis, Don 1971 –". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Goldsboro News-Argus | News: Don Davis files for John Kerr's seat in N.C. Senate". savannah.newsargus.com. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  8. ^ News & Observer: U.S. Rep. Ballance resigns[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ "Goldsboro News-Argus | News: Don Davis to resign as Snow Hill mayor". savannah.newsargus.com. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  10. ^ "Goldsboro News-Argus | News: Don Davis files for John Kerr's seat in N.C. Senate". savannah.newsargus.com. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  11. ^ "Goldsboro News-Argus | News: Davis will battle Pate". savannah.newsargus.com. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  12. ^ "Goldsboro News-Argus | News: Runoff in works for seat in Senate". savannah.newsargus.com. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Goldsboro News-Argus | News: BREAKING NEWS - State Senate District 5 runoff results". savannah.newsargus.com. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  14. ^ News & Observer: Legislators began on January 1, technically Archived January 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "11/04/2008 Official General Election Results Statewide" (PDF). nccourts.gov. June 27, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  16. ^ Livingston, Ginger. "Robb running for NC Senate".
  17. ^ "Senator Don Davis announces campaign for Congress to replace Butterfield". WITN. December 1, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  18. ^ "NC Senator Don Davis defeated Sandy Smith in the state's first Congressional District". ABC11 Raleigh-Durham. November 9, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  19. ^ Coffey, Kelsey (March 7, 2024). "NC guests to attend State of the Union address in Washington, DC". WRAL News. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  20. ^ Cohrs, Rachel (February 5, 2024). "The lone Democrat willing to weaken Medicare's power to negotiate drug prices". Stat News. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  21. ^ Demirjian, Karoun (October 25, 2023). "House Declares Solidarity With Israel in First Legislation Under New Speaker". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  22. ^ Washington, U. S. Capitol Room H154; p:225-7000, DC 20515-6601 (October 25, 2023). "Roll Call 528 Roll Call 528, Bill Number: H. Res. 771, 118th Congress, 1st Session". Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved October 30, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ Fink, Jenni (November 7, 2023). "Full List of Democrats Who Voted to Censure Rashida Tlaib". Newsweek. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  24. ^ Pfluger, August; Davis, Don; Makovsky, Michael (March 27, 2024). "Conditioning US aid to Israel would be a mistake". Washington Examiner. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  25. ^ "Committees and Caucuses". Representative Davis. January 3, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  26. ^ "NewDem Members". NewDem Action Fund. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
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Donald G. Davis
North Carolina Senate
Preceded by Member of the North Carolina Senate
from the 5th district
2009–2011 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the North Carolina Senate
from the 5th district
2013–2023 		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina's 1st congressional district
2023–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
367th 		Succeeded by
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