Lincoln Davis
Encyclopedia
Lincoln Edward Davis is the former U.S. Representative
for . He is a member of the Democratic Party
.
in 1966 with a degree in agriculture
. Davis, who now lives in the rural Fentress County village of Pall Mall
, also owns a construction business, Diversified Construction Co., which builds homes, apartments and offices. Davis and his wife Lynda, an elementary school teacher, have three daughters, Larissa, Lynn and Libby, and five grandchildren.
of Byrdstown
. Midway through his term as mayor, he was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives
, where he served two terms. He gave up the seat in 1984 to run for the Democratic nomination in the when Al Gore
gave it up to make a successful run for the United States Senate
. He narrowly lost the primary to state Democratic Party chairman Bart Gordon
. Ten years later, he ran for the Democratic nomination in the 4th District after Jim Cooper
gave up the seat to make an unsuccessful run for Gore's Senate seat. He lost narrowly again, this time to one of Cooper's former assistants, Jeff Whorley, who in turn lost the general election to Republican
Van Hilleary
. In 1996, he was elected to the Tennessee State Senate and served two terms there.
While in the Tennessee General Assembly
, Davis supported state employee and teacher pay raises, long-term care for senior citizen
s, character education in schools and new domestic violence
legislation. Davis initiated and fought for a bill requiring counseling and a 12-hour holding period for domestic violence offenders.
Davis is a moderate Democrat by Tennessee standards, but a conservative Democrat by national ones. He opposes abortion
and gun control
, stances typical of most Democrats from rural areas of the state. During his first run for Congress, he vowed not to allow his Republican opponents to "outgun me, outpray me or outfamily me."
incumbent Van Hilleary
gave up the seat to make what would ultimately be an unsuccessful run for governor. This time, he easily won the primary, and narrowly defeated Tullahoma
Alderman Janice Bowling
, who was also Hilleary's district director, in the general election. He was reelected in a 2004 rematch against Bowling and faced only nominal opposition in 2006 and 2008. Although the 4th is not considered safe for either major party, its size (it stretches across two time zones and five television markets) makes it very difficult to unseat an incumbent.
regarding Presidential campaign in August 2008. Hillary Clinton won the primary in his district by a significant margin, and John McCain
outran Barack Obama
there by 29 percentage points.
In the November 2008 general election
, he defeated Republican candidate Monty Lankford
, a hospital equipment company owner. Afterwards Davis was appointed to the House Appropriations Committee and the Energy & Water Subcommittee
.
Davis was challenged by Republican nominee Scott DesJarlais
. Also on the ballot were Independents Paul H. Curtis, James Gray, Richard S. Johnson, and Gerald York. DesJarlais won 57.1% of the vote to Davis's 38.6%--the third-largest margin of defeat for a Democratic incumbent in the 2010 cycle, and the first time an incumbent had been unseated since the district's creation in 1983.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for . He is a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
.
Early life, education and career
Davis has spent most of his life in Fentress County, a mostly rural county in the state's coal-mining region. He graduated from Tennessee Technological UniversityTennessee Technological University
Tennessee Technological University, popularly known as Tennessee Tech, is an accredited public university located in Cookeville, Tennessee, US, a city approximately seventy miles east of Nashville. It was formerly known as Tennessee Polytechnic Institute , and before that as Dixie College, the...
in 1966 with a degree in agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. Davis, who now lives in the rural Fentress County village of Pall Mall
Pall Mall, Tennessee
Pall Mall is a small unincorporated community in the Wolf River valley of Fentress County, Tennessee, United States. Pall Mall is located near the Kentucky-Tennessee state-line in northeastern-central Tennessee. The population was at 1,398 people according to the 2000 census.The World War I hero...
, also owns a construction business, Diversified Construction Co., which builds homes, apartments and offices. Davis and his wife Lynda, an elementary school teacher, have three daughters, Larissa, Lynn and Libby, and five grandchildren.
Early political career
Davis began his political career in 1978, when he was elected mayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Byrdstown
Byrdstown, Tennessee
Byrdstown is a town in Pickett County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 903 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pickett County.-Geography:...
. Midway through his term as mayor, he was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives
Tennessee House of Representatives
The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional requirements:...
, where he served two terms. He gave up the seat in 1984 to run for the Democratic nomination in the when Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
gave it up to make a successful run for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. He narrowly lost the primary to state Democratic Party chairman Bart Gordon
Bart Gordon
Barton Jennings "Bart" Gordon, is a lawyer and former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1985 until 2011. The district includes several rural areas and fast-growing suburbs east of Nashville. He was Chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology from 2007 until 2011. He is a member...
. Ten years later, he ran for the Democratic nomination in the 4th District after Jim Cooper
Jim Cooper
James Hayes Shofner "Jim" Cooper is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party and the Blue Dog Coalition. He previously represented from 1983 to 1995....
gave up the seat to make an unsuccessful run for Gore's Senate seat. He lost narrowly again, this time to one of Cooper's former assistants, Jeff Whorley, who in turn lost the general election to Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Van Hilleary
Van Hilleary
William Vanderpool Hilleary, usually known as Van Hilleary is a Republican politician from Tennessee.-Early life and career:...
. In 1996, he was elected to the Tennessee State Senate and served two terms there.
While in the Tennessee General Assembly
Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
, Davis supported state employee and teacher pay raises, long-term care for senior citizen
Senior citizen
Senior citizen is a common polite designation for an elderly person in both UK and US English, and it implies or means that the person is retired. This in turn implies or in fact means that the person is over the retirement age, which varies according to country. Synonyms include pensioner in UK...
s, character education in schools and new domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
legislation. Davis initiated and fought for a bill requiring counseling and a 12-hour holding period for domestic violence offenders.
Committee assignments
- Committee on AppropriationsUnited States House Committee on AppropriationsThe Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is in charge of setting the specific expenditures of money by the government of the United States...
- Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
- Subcommittee on Energy and Water DevelopmentUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water DevelopmentThe House Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies is a standing subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee.-Members, 112th Congress:-External links:* Official page...
- Committee on Science and Technology
- Subcommittee on Energy and Environment
- Subcommittee on Investigations and OversightUnited States House Science Subcommittee on Investigations and OversightThe Science Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight is one of five subcommittees of the United States House Committee on Science and Technology...
Caucus membership
- Caucus to Control Methamphetamine
- Congressional Rural Caucus
- Blue Dog Coalition
Davis is a moderate Democrat by Tennessee standards, but a conservative Democrat by national ones. He opposes abortion
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
and gun control
Gun control
Gun control is any law, policy, practice, or proposal designed to restrict or limit the possession, production, importation, shipment, sale, and/or use of guns or other firearms by private citizens...
, stances typical of most Democrats from rural areas of the state. During his first run for Congress, he vowed not to allow his Republican opponents to "outgun me, outpray me or outfamily me."
Political campaigns
Midway through his second term in the State Senate, in 2002, Davis ran for the Democratic nomination in the 4th District when four-term RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
incumbent Van Hilleary
Van Hilleary
William Vanderpool Hilleary, usually known as Van Hilleary is a Republican politician from Tennessee.-Early life and career:...
gave up the seat to make what would ultimately be an unsuccessful run for governor. This time, he easily won the primary, and narrowly defeated Tullahoma
Tullahoma, Tennessee
-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 18,655 people, 7,717 households, and 5,161 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 88.1% White, 7.0% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 1.1% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races...
Alderman Janice Bowling
Janice Bowling
Janice Bowling is a public official and community activist in Tullahoma, Tennessee. Born on April 1, 1947 in Selma, Alabama, she was a teacher in the public school system before marrying her husband, who was then in the U.S. Air Force. After being stationed at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in...
, who was also Hilleary's district director, in the general election. He was reelected in a 2004 rematch against Bowling and faced only nominal opposition in 2006 and 2008. Although the 4th is not considered safe for either major party, its size (it stretches across two time zones and five television markets) makes it very difficult to unseat an incumbent.
2008
Davis did not make an endorsement of the candidate in advance of the DNC's convention2008 Democratic National Convention
The United States 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for President and Vice President of the United States. The convention was held in Denver,...
regarding Presidential campaign in August 2008. Hillary Clinton won the primary in his district by a significant margin, and John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
outran Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
there by 29 percentage points.
In the November 2008 general election
United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee, 2008
The 2008 congressional elections in Tennessee were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who will represent the state of Tennessee in the United States House of Representatives. Tennessee has nine seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census...
, he defeated Republican candidate Monty Lankford
Monty Lankford
Monty Joe Lankford was a Republican candidate in the 2008 U.S. congressional elections for the 4th Congressional District of Tennessee. He won the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Rep. Lincoln Davis . The primary took place on August 7, 2008...
, a hospital equipment company owner. Afterwards Davis was appointed to the House Appropriations Committee and the Energy & Water Subcommittee
United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
The House Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies is a standing subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee.-Members, 112th Congress:-External links:* Official page...
.
2010
Davis was a possible candidate for Governor of Tennessee in 2010. However, Davis announced that he had decided not to seek that office in January 2009.Davis was challenged by Republican nominee Scott DesJarlais
Scott DesJarlais
Scott Eugene DesJarlais is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life, education, and medical career:...
. Also on the ballot were Independents Paul H. Curtis, James Gray, Richard S. Johnson, and Gerald York. DesJarlais won 57.1% of the vote to Davis's 38.6%--the third-largest margin of defeat for a Democratic incumbent in the 2010 cycle, and the first time an incumbent had been unseated since the district's creation in 1983.
External links
- Congressman Lincoln Davis official campaign site
- Profile at SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...