Don Davis | |
|---|---|
| Official portrait, 2022 | |
| Member of the U.S.HouseofRepresentatives from North Carolina's 1st district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | G. K. Butterfield |
| Member of the North Carolina Senate from the 5th district | |
| In office January 1,2013 –January 1,2023 | |
| Preceded by | Louis Pate |
| Succeeded by | Kandie Smith |
| In office January 1,2009 –January 1,2011 | |
| Preceded by | John Kerr |
| Succeeded by | Louis Pate |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Donald Gene Davis August 29,1971 |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Yuvonka Davis |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1994–2001 |
| Rank | Captain |
Donald Gene Davis (born August 29, 1971) [1] is an American politician and former Air Force officer serving as the United States representative for North Carolina's 1st congressional district since 2023. [2] A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the North Carolina Senate for a decade, representing the 5th district from 2013 to 2023, following an earlier term from 2009 to 2011. [3]
Born in Snow Hill, North Carolina, Davis graduated from the United States Air Force Academy and served as an Air Force officer before returning to North Carolina, where he worked as an educator and entered local politics as mayor of Snow Hill.
Davis was elected to Congress in 2022, succeeding longtime incumbent G. K. Butterfield, and won reelection in 2024 in a closely contested race. He is considered a moderate Democrat. [4] In Congress he has focused on issues affecting his district in the northeast part of the state, including agriculture, defense, and rural infrastructure.
Davis was born in Snow Hill in North Carolina. [5] He also lived in Irving, Texas, for a period, attending MacArthur High School. [6]
He attended the United States Air Force Academy, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1994. [7] After graduation, he was commissioned into the United States Air Force, serving for eight years and rising to the rank of captain. [8] During his service, Davis was a coordinator of Air Force One operations at Joint Base Andrews. [5]
Davis received a master of science degree from Central Michigan University. [7] He then returned to North Carolina, where he taught and completed a master of arts in sociology and a doctorate in education at East Carolina University. [8]
Davis began his teaching career as an assistant professor of aerospace studies at the Air Force ROTC department at East Carolina University starting in 1998. [5] He taught courses in military history, leadership, and national affairs. [8] He was discharged from the Air Force in 2001. [7]
In 2001, Davis was elected mayor of Snow Hill. He also served as the chair of the Democratic Party for North Carolina's 1st congressional district. In 2004, he briefly ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1st district but withdrew before the primary. [9] He was reelected as mayor in 2005. [10]
In 2007, Davis announced his candidacy for the North Carolina's 5th Senate district seat. [8] He was one of six Democratic candidates to compete for the position, which was being vacated by retiring senator John Kerr III. In the May 2008 primary election, Davis received 36% of the vote, the highest among the candidates. [11] However, since he did not secure the 40% required to win outright, he advanced to a runoff against Kathy Taft. [12]
In June 2008, Davis won the Democratic nomination with 63% of the vote in the runoff. [13] [14] He went on to face North Carolina representative Louis Pate, a Republican from Wayne County, in the general election. [13] Davis defeated Pate, winning 53% of the vote in November 2008. His term as senator for District 5, representing Pitt, Wayne, and Greene counties, began on January 1, 2009. [15] However, in 2010, Davis was defeated by Pate in a rematch of the 2008 election. [16]
After his defeat in 2010, Davis ran and won a Senate seat for the newly redrawn 5th district in the 2012 election. [17] Davis ran unopposed in 2016. He defeated Pitt County district attorney Kimberly Robb in the 2018 election. [18]
In December 2021, Davis announced his candidacy for the open U.S. House seat in North Carolina’s 1st congressional district following the retirement of Democrat incumbent G. K. Butterfield. [20] Davis won the Democratic nomination in the May 2022 primary for the district, defeating former state senator Erica D. Smith and other candidates. [21]
In the November general election, Davis faced Republican nominee Sandy Smith in the race for the district in the northeastern part of the state. [22] Represented by Democrat G. K. Butterfield since 2004, the district became more competitive in 2022 after a court-ordered map replaced lines drawn by the Republican-led General Assembly, which created a more balanced partisan electorate. [22] Davis won the election with 52.27 percent of the vote to Smith’s 47.73 percent, maintaining Democratic control of the district. [23] [24]
Davis won reelection in 2024. He defeated Republican Laurie Buckhout by 1.5%. [25] [26] [27]
Davis was sworn into office on January 7, 2023, as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 1st congressional district. [28] During the 118th Congress, he was appointed to the Armed Services and Agriculture committees. [28] In August, Davis introduced with Republican Representative Marcus Molinaro the bipartisan Flooding Prevention, Assessment, and Restoration Act to improve rural access to federal flood mitigation programs and reduce the financial costs to communities facing flood risks. [29]
In October 2023, Davis voted to provide Israel with support following the Hamas-led attack on Israel. [30] [31] He was among the House Democrats who voted to censure Representative Rashida Tlaib for her comments about the Gaza war. [32] In March 2024, Davis, Representative August Pfluger, and a news reporter wrote an opinion piece in the Washington Examiner , which criticized the push by many members of Congress to condition U.S. aid to Israel. [33]
In 2024, Davis invited 109-year-old Cassie Smith from Battleboro, North Carolina, to attend the State of the Union address. [34] The following month, he was the sole Democratic co-sponsor of a Republican-led bill by representatives Greg Murphy and Brett Guthrie that would limit Medicare's ability to negotiate drug prices. [35] At the end of the year, he voted for the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which authorized $895 billion in military spending and included provisions that prevented the elimination of 520 jobs at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and delayed retirement of its F-15E aircraft. [36]
In 2025, Davis joined Republicans in voting to ban gender affirming care for transgender minors, and criminalize anyone who helps them obtain it. [37]
On January 22, 2026, he voted to pass HR 7147 funding bill for the Dept. of Homeland Security, including funding for United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). [38]
Davis's committee assignments for the 119th Congress include: [39]
Davis's caucus memberships include: [40]
Davis is married to Yuvonka. They live in Greene County, North Carolina, and have three sons. [40] He is Presbyterian and a lay minister. [8]