| Geoff Davis | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 4th district |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2005 |
|
| Preceded by | Ken Lucas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 26, 1958 Montreal, Quebec |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Pat Davis |
| Residence | Hebron, Kentucky |
| Alma mater | US Military Academy |
| Occupation | manufacturing consultant |
| Religion | Baptist |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1976-1987 |
| Unit | Rangers |
Geoffrey C. "Geoff" Davis (born October 26, 1958) is the U.S. Representative for Kentucky's 4th congressional district, serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes 24 counties in the northeastern part of the state, stretching from the fringes of the Louisville area to the West Virginia border. Most of its vote, however, is cast in the counties bordering Cincinnati. On December 15, 2011, Davis announced he would not seek reelection in 2012.[1]
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Davis was born in Montreal, Canada to American parents (one of few sitting House members to be born in Quebec), and attended the United States Military Academy. He served in the Middle East during the 1980s with the U.S. Army Rangers. Before running for the House, he worked as a consultant in the manufacturing field.
In the 2002 elections, Davis challenged Ken Lucas, the Democratic incumbent but was narrowly defeated 51%-48%.[2]
Lucas declined to run for re-election, honoring a promise to serve only three terms. In the 2004 race for the open seat, Davis defeated his Democratic opponent Nick Clooney, father of actor George Clooney, 54%-44%.[3]
On January 30, 2006, Lucas announced he would challenge Davis later that year. The announcement instantly turned the race into one of the hottest in the campaign cycle, even though the 4th is considered the most Republican district in Kentucky. Despite a substantial Democratic advantage in voter registration, the influence of the heavily Republican Cincinnati suburbs kept the district in Republican hands from 1967 until Lucas won the seat in 1998. In August Congressional Quarterly rated this race as "Lean Republican." In late July the Washington Post also rated the race as a toss-up.[4] A SurveyUSA poll released on July 25, 2006 showed Lucas leading 50% to 41%.[5] However, the most recent independent SurveyUSA poll shows Davis up by two percentage points (46% Davis - 44% Lucas).[6] Davis has a decisive lead in fundraising.[7] The Cook Political Report, an independent non-partisan newsletter, rated the race for Kentucky's 4th Congressional District as a "Republican Toss-Up", meaning either party has a good chance of winning.[8]
Davis won re-election 52%-43%, a margin of 17,023 votes.[9]
Davis won re-election with 63% of the vote, defeating Michael Kelley.[10][11]
Davis was challenged by Democrat John Waltz, whom he defeated with 69% of the votes cast.[12][13]
Davis has a solidly conservative voting record; according to his congressional website, he has positioned himself as pro-life and in favor of industrial deregulation.
In November, 2005, Davis made headlines for his response to Pennsylvania representative John Murtha's call for withdrawal from Iraq, saying, "Ayman Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's deputy, as well as Abu Musab Zarqawi, have made it quite clear in their internal propaganda that they cannot win unless they can drive the Americans out. And they know that they can't do that there, so they've brought the battlefield to the halls of Congress. And, frankly, the liberal leadership have put politics ahead of sound, fiscal and national security policy. And what they have done is cooperated with our enemies and are emboldening our enemies." Davis faced harsh criticism for his remarks, including, for example, from the Democratic Veterans of Northern Kentucky, and sparked a drive led by national Democratic Party leaders to get Ken Lucas to run against him in 2006.[14][15][16]
Davis is a staunch advocate of a federal prohibition of online poker. In 2006, he supported H.R. 4411, the Goodlatte-Leach Internet Gambling Prohibition Act.[17] In 2008, he opposed H.R. 5767, the Payment Systems Protection Act (a bill that sought to place a moratorium on enforcement of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act while the U.S. Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve defined "unlawful Internet gambling").
The Davis campaign has received contributions from the Americans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee (ARMPAC), which was led by former Texas Congressman Tom DeLay. As of June 30, 2006, according to the Federal Election Commission, of the $2.4 million contributed to the Davis campaign for the current 2006 electoral cycle, $10,000 was contributed by ARMPAC.[18] Tom DeLay is the subject of indictments sought by Ronnie Earle, the district attorney for Travis County, Texas, alleging violations of Texas campaign-finance law. Judge Pat Priest has dismissed one indictment against DeLay, the second has not yet come to trial.[19] The charges against DeLay are considered by some to be politically motivated.[20][21] Democrats have indicated that they consider the ARMPAC contributions to be a campaign issue.[22] Davis has not, as of June 2007, been accused of any misconduct.
Davis has received donations from Republican Duke Cunningham, who pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud, and tax evasion. Davis has not chosen to give back the money from Cunningham, while many other recipients have.[23][24] Davis received a donation from Congressman Bob Ney, who pleaded guilty for bribery and his involvement with convicted felon Jack Abramoff.[25]
On April 12, 2008, at a Northern Kentucky Lincoln Day dinner, Davis compared the campaign slogans of Barack Obama to the sales pitch of a "snake oil salesman". He said in his remarks at the GOP dinner that he participated in a "highly classified, national security simulation" with Obama.
"I'm going to tell you something: That boy's finger does not need to be on the button," Davis added. "He could not make a decision in that simulation that related to a nuclear threat to this country." [26]
Davis also made reference to Obama as being put into the Senate by someone who will probably spend many years of his life in prison (presumably a reference to Tony Rezko) and that Obama had never had a real job before. [27]
Davis later apologized for his comment in a letter:
Dear Senator Obama: On Saturday night I gave a speech in which I used a poor choice of words when discussing the national security policy positions of the Presidential candidates. I was quoted as saying "That boy's finger does not need to be on the button." My poor choice of words is regrettable and was in no way meant to impugn you or your integrity. I offer my sincere apology to you and ask for your forgiveness. Though we may disagree on many issues, I know that we share the goal of a prosperous, secure future for our nation. My comment has detracted from the dialogue that we should all be having on legitimate policy differences and in no way reflects the personal and professional respect I have for you. Sincerely,
Geoff Davis [28]
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ken Lucas |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 4th congressional district 2005–present |
Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Henry Cuellar D-California |
United States Representatives by seniority 237th |
Succeeded by Charlie Dent R-Pennsylvania |
| 109th | Senate: M. McConnell | J. Bunning | House: H. Rogers | R. Lewis | E. Whitfield | A. Northup | B. Chandler | G. Davis |
| 110th | Senate: M. McConnell | J. Bunning | House: H. Rogers | R. Lewis | E. Whitfield | B. Chandler | G. Davis | J. Yarmuth |
| 111th | Senate: M. McConnell | J. Bunning | House: H. Rogers | E. Whitfield | B. Chandler | G. Davis | J. Yarmuth | B. Guthrie |
| 112th | Senate: M. McConnell | R. Paul | House: H. Rogers | E. Whitfield | B. Chandler | G. Davis | J. Yarmuth | B. Guthrie |