2010 elections

Artur Davis: Southern Dems Should Think About Running As Independents

Eric Kleefeld | December 27, 2010, 10:59AM

Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL)

Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL), who is leaving Congress after a failed run in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, has an interesting suggestion for moderate Democratic politicians in the wake of the party's near-total wipeout in the South: Forget the Dems, run as an independent.

As The Hill reports:

Southern voters "see the Democratic Party as a liberal institution that wants to spend their money recklessly, that doesn't honor their social values and that has a very different view of the world," said Alabama Rep. Artur Davis (D).

"It's hard for local Democratic candidates to break clear of that," Davis added. "Some [of those candidates] who are thinking about competing in the South may have to look at running as Independents."

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Bush Tax Cuts

Meet The Democrats Who Want To Preserve Tax Cuts For The Rich

Brian Beutler | September 16, 2010, 8:46AM

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

As he presses Congress to let the Bush tax cuts for wealthy Americans expire, President Obama has two goals in mind: achieve a significant policy victory; and give struggling Democrats a wedge issue ahead of the November elections. But a significant number of those Democrats are saying they don't want the help -- and that number may be enough to force Democratic leaders to punt on the issue.

Rep. Michael McMahon (D-NY), who is fighting to preserve the top-bracket tax cuts for at least a year, says he has somewhere between 25 and 50 members on his side. "I think the difference is there," he told TPM after a House vote yesterday afternoon.

McMahon is a signatory to a letter authored by Rep. Melissa Bean (D-IL) and others designed to pressure leaders to give wealthy Americans another tax break. His view represents a political and policy consensus shared by a significant, and vocal faction of the Democratic party -- a consensus that party leaders are doing little to weaken.

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Alabama

Artur Davis: My Political Career Is Over

Ben Frumin | June 3, 2010, 6:14PM

Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL)

Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL) declared his political career all but over yesterday, after getting crushed 62-38 in his state's Democratic gubernatorial primary Tuesday.

"I have no interest in running for political office again," Davis said, according to the Birmingham News. "The voters spoke in a very decisive way across every sector and in every section of the state. A candidate that fails across the board like that obviously needs to find something else productive to do with his life."

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Artur Davis

Rolling The Dice: How Artur Davis Ended His Own Political Career

Brian Beutler | June 2, 2010, 3:53PM

Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL)

Artur Davis was never going to have an easy time becoming the first black governor of highly white, highly Republican Alabama. But in the end, he wasn't even able to make it past the first round, losing to Ron Sparks in last night's primary by a significant margin, after having dominated in the polls up until the eve of the election. How did such a charismatic and well-qualified pol, once considered a rising star in the Democratic party, allow his entire political career--his seat in Congress, his gubernatorial aspirations, his favor in national politics--to fizzle out?

Alabama political veterans say his major error was seeking to distance himself from Democrats--and particularly influential black organizations--at an early stage in the campaign, sacrificing principles for politics and taking for granted the very people who ultimately turned on him. Davis assumed--or took a huge gamble--that the historical promise of becoming Alabama's first black governor would be enough to rally his base--despite black leaders' endorsement of his white opponent--and that he could pre-emptively move to the right ahead of the general election in at times craven ways. He was wrong.

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Artur Davis

AL Dem To Opponent: Denounce Racial Campaign Tactics Or You're Probably Behind Them

Jillian Rayfield | May 11, 2010, 12:46PM

Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL) and Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks (D-AL)

Alabama gubernatorial candidate Artur Davis (D) has called on primary opponent Ron Sparks to denounce race-tinged campaign tactics.

A recent letter from a Sparks support to state Democrats asked "Can Artur Davis get 30% of the white vote in Alabama?" Davis, who is black, said the "Sparks campaign better distance itself from it or we have to assume they are driving it."

The TPM Poll Average gives Davis a lead of 38.0%-28.0% over Sparks in the Democratic primary, which will be held on June 1.

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AL-GOV

Poll: Rep. Artur Davis Leads In Alabama Dem Primary For Governor

Eric Kleefeld | March 30, 2010, 1:02PM

Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL) and Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks (D-AL)

A new survey of Alabama by Public Policy Polling (D) finds that Rep. Artur Davis leads in the Democratic primary for governor -- but it's possible that his vote against the health care bill could come back to haunt him.

The numbers: Davis 38%, Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks 28%, and third candidate Sam Franklin Thomas with 9%, with a ±4.6% margin of error. At the same time, 80% of Democratic primary voters support the health care bill, compared to only 14% who oppose it.

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Health Care

Against It: A Look At The 34 Dems Who Voted No On Health Care Reform

Brian Beutler | March 22, 2010, 9:50AM

Clockwise: Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO), Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN), Rep. Michael Arcuri (D-NY), Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL), Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA)

The 34 Democrats who voted against health care reform last night are by and large a familiar set. They overlap significantly--though not entirely--with the 39 Democrats who voted against the House health care bill in November. Just as in November, most hail from contested districts, in the south and the midwest. But just as in November, there are some surprises--members you wouldn't normally expect to see voting against legislation so closely associated with the Democratic party.

Most of the Democratic "no" votes are as you would expect: conservative members from conservative districts, in many cases facing difficult re-election challenges. Blue Dog chair Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) is one such member. So is Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA).

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