- Jim Davis (politician)
Infobox_Congressman
name = Jim Davis
date of birth = birth date and age|1957|10|11
place of birth =Tampa, Florida
state =Florida
district = 11th
term = 1997–2007
preceded =Sam Gibbons
succeeded =Kathy Castor
party = Democrat
religion = Episcopalian
spouse = Peggy Bessent
alma_mater=Washington and Lee University ,University of Florida
occupation=attorney
residence=Tampa, Florida James Oscar "Jim" Davis III (born
October 11 ,1957 ) is an American politician from theU.S. state ofFlorida . He is a Democrat and served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1997 to 2007, representing Florida's 11th district. He was the Democratic nominee forgovernor of Florida in the 2006 election, but was defeated by RepublicanCharlie Crist .Early life and education
Davis was born in
Tampa, Florida . He graduated fromJesuit High School of Tampa in 1975, and attendedWashington and Lee University , where he received hisBachelor of Arts degree in 1979. He later attended the University of Florida's College of Law, received hisJuris Doctor law degree in 1982. He later credited his grandfather as an important influence on his life.Career
Davis worked as a lawyer in private practice from 1982 to 1988, when he became a partner in the Tampa-based business
law firm of Bush, Ross, Gardner, Warren & Rudy. Davis was elected to theFlorida House of Representatives in 1989 and served until 1996, serving as House Majority Leader from 1995 to 1996.Davis is one of the co-chairs of the
New Democrat Coalition in the House of Representatives. The New Democrat Coalition is affiliated with the centristDemocratic Leadership Council .On October 10, 2002, Jim Davis was among the 81 House Democrats who voted in favor of authorizing the invasion of Iraq.
Davis announced his candidacy for governor of Florida in 2005 and won the Democratic primary held on
September 5 ,2006 . He defeated then-state Senator Rod Smith by a margin of 46 percent to 42 percent.He received the endorsements of former U.S. President
Bill Clinton , U.S. senator for FloridaBill Nelson , U.S. senator for IllinoisBarack Obama , former Governor and U.S. SenatorBob Graham , former GovernorBuddy MacKay , former First Lady Rhea Chiles (wife ofLawton Chiles ), former Tallahassee mayor andFlorida Democratic Party chairmanScott Maddox , Miami-Dade Democratic Party chairmanJimmy Morales , and RepresentativesAlcee Hastings ,Robert Wexler ,Corrine Brown , andDebbie Wasserman Schultz .As of 2007 , Davis is employed atHolland & Knight in Tampa. There has been some speculation in the media about his potential to challenge U.S. SenatorMel Martinez (|R-FL) in the 2010 election, or to run for Mayor of Tampa in 2011.Fact|date=October 2008Election results
2002 election:
Davis ran unopposed.
2000 election:
Personal life
Davis's wife is Peggy Bessent Davis. The couple have two children, Peter and William. He is a member of the Episcopal Church.
External links
*CongBio|D000114
* [http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=BC040237 Biography] fromProject Vote Smart
* [http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/d000114/ Voting record maintained by the Washington Post]
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