Jim Davis | |
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida's11th district | |
| In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Sam Gibbons |
| Succeeded by | Kathy Castor |
| Member of theFlorida House of Representatives | |
| In office November 8, 1988 – November 5, 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Helen Davis |
| Succeeded by | Sandra Murman |
| Constituency | 64th district (1988–1992) 56th district (1992–1996) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Oscar Davis III (1957-10-11)October 11, 1957 (age 68) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Peggy Bessent |
| Education | Washington and Lee University (BA) University of Florida (JD) |
James Oscar Davis III (born October 11, 1957) is anDemocratic politician and attorney from theU.S. state ofFlorida. He is aDemocrat. He served in theU.S. House of Representatives from 1997 to 2007, representingFlorida's 11th congressional district. He was the Democratic nominee forgovernor of Florida in the2006 election, but was defeated byRepublicanCharlie Crist.
Davis was born inTampa, Florida. He graduated fromJesuit High School of Tampa in 1975, and attendedWashington and Lee University, where he received hisBachelor of Artsdegree in 1979. He later attended theUniversity of Florida'sCollege of Law, received hisJuris Doctor in 1982. Davis worked as a lawyer in private practice from 1982 to 1988, when he became a partner in the Tampa-based law firm of Bush, Ross, Gardner, Warren & Rudy.
In 1988, Democratic State RepresentativeHelen Davis, who represented the 64th District, opted to run for theFlorida Senate rather than seek re-election. Davis ran to succeed her, and centered his campaign around his experience with civil rights litigation.[1] He faced a crowded Democratic primary,[2] and was endorsed by theSt. Petersburg Times, which praised his "thoughtful campaign" and "knowledgeable command of Florida,"[3] and by theTampa Tribune, which noted that he had "the makings of a long-term legislator."[4]
Davis placed first in the primary election with 43 percent of the vote,[5] but failed to receive a majority, and advanced to a runoff election with attorney Tom Wright, who placed a distant second with 16 percent of the vote.[6] Davis won the runoff election in a landslide, receiving 65 percent of the vote,[7] and advanced to the general election, where he was opposed by Republican nominee Maxx Hudson. Owing to the strong Democratic lean of the district,[8] Davis defeated Hudson by a wide margin, winning 67 percent of the vote.[9]
Davis was re-elected unopposed in 1990.[10] In 1992, following the reconfiguration of state legislative districts after the1990 Census, Davis ran for re-election in District 56, and was challenged by businessman Carl Mathews, the Republican nominee.[11] Davis defeated Mathews by a wide margin, but reduced from his previous races, winning 56 percent of the vote.[12]
In 1994, during adismal national environment for Democrats, Davis faced a serious challenge from Republican businessman Bill Butler.[13] The race was initially too close to call, but Davis ended up becoming one of the few Democratic candidates to win locally,[14] receiving 51 percent of the vote to Butler's 49 percent.[15]
During the 1994 to 1996 legislative session, Davis was elected Majority Leader of theFlorida House of Representatives, serving under SpeakerPeter Rudy Wallace.[16]
In 1996, Democratic CongressmanSam Gibbons declined to seek re-election to an eighteenth term, and Davis ran to succeed him in the11th district.[17] He faced a crowded Democratic primary that included former State SenatorPat Frank, former Tampa MayorSandra Freedman, and County CommissionerPhyllis Busansky.[18] Freedman placed first in the primary with 35 percent of the vote. Davis ultimately placed second, winning 24.9 percent of the vote to Busansky's 24.5 percent,[19] a result that was confirmed by a recount.[20] Davis ultimately defeated Freedman in the runoff by a wide margin, receiving 56 percent of the vote to Freedman's 44 percent,[21] despite Freedman's status as a frontrunner.[22] In the general election, Davis faced Republican Mark Sharpe, who had narrowly lost to Gibbons in1994. Davis defeated Sharpe by a larger margin than Gibbons had,[23] winning 58 percent of the vote.[24]
Davis was challenged in 1998 by RepublicanHillsborough County Commissioner Joe Chillura.[25] Davis won re-election in a landslide, receiving 65 percent of the vote.[26] He was re-elected in2000 with 85 percent of the vote against Libertarian Charlie Westlake,[27] was unopposed in2002,[28] and defeated Libertarian Robert Edward Johnson with 86 percent of the vote in2004.[29]
On October 10, 2002, Jim Davis was among the 81 House Democrats who voted in favor of authorizing theinvasion of Iraq.
Davis declined to seek re-election to Congress in2006, instead announcing on February 10, 2005, that he would run for Governor of Florida.[30] He won the Democratic primary over State SenatorRod Smith with 47 percent of the vote,[31] and faced Republican Attorney GeneralCharlie Crist in the general election.[32] Davis selected former State SenatorDaryl Jones, who had endorsed Smith in the primary, as his running mate.[33]
Despite thefavorable national environment for Democrats, Davis lost to Crist, winning 45 percent of the vote to Crist's 52 percent.
Following his departure from Congress, Davis joined theTampa andWashington, D.C. offices of law firmHolland & Knight.[34]
In 2010, Davis joined the campaign of Moving Hillsborough Forward, a political action committee that was organized to support a transit tax inHillsborough County to fund the creation of a light rail system in the region.[35] The tax ultimately lost in a landslide,[36] with 58 percent of voters rejecting the measure.[37]
Davis considered running for Mayor of Tampa in2011,[38] with outgoing MayorPam Iorio suggesting that he would be "excellent."[39] However, in the aftermath of the transit tax defeat, Davis ultimately declined to run.[40]
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Jim Davis | 108,522 | 57.9% | Mark Sharpe | 78,881 | 42.1% | ||||||||
| 1998 | Jim Davis | 85,262 | 64.9% | Joe Chillura | 46,176 | 35.1% | ||||||||
| 2000 | Jim Davis | 149,433 | 84.6% | (no candidate) | Charlie Westlake | Libertarian | 27,194 | 15.4% | ||||||
| 2002 | Jim Davis | Unopposed | 100% | (no candidate) | ||||||||||
| 2004 | Jim Davis | 191,780 | 85.8% | (no candidate) | Robert Edward Johnson | Libertarian | 31,579 | 14.1% |
Davis's wife is Peggy Bessent Davis. The couple have two children, Peter and William. He is a member of theEpiscopal Church.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromFlorida's 11th congressional district 1997–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of theNew Democrat Coalition 2001–2005 Served alongside:Ron Kind,Adam Smith | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Florida 2006 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
Democratic Party nominees forgovernor of Florida (1953–) | ||
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