Early parliamentary career Davis became involved with the
Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) as a teenager and volunteered during the
1967 Bahamian general election. After the PLP defeated the
Free National Movement (FNM), Davis was sworn in on 9 May 2012 as
deputy prime minister and minister of works and urban development.
Deputy prime minister and minister of works As minister of works and urban development, Davis was responsible for public works, infrastructure and urban development programmes. Two major projects handled by the ministry during his tenure were the New Providence Road Improvement Project and the Urban Renewal Small Home Repairs Programme. Under the small home repairs programme, more than 1,000 homes were repaired in
New Providence and the
Family Islands. Davis retained his seat and was sworn in as
leader of the opposition on 19 May 2017. After
Perry Christie stepped down as PLP leader following the election defeat, Davis became interim party leader and then contested the leadership at the party's October 2017 convention. He was elected PLP leader on 25 October 2017, defeating
Glenys Hanna Martin by 1,004 votes to 300;
Chester Cooper was elected deputy leader.
Prime minister Davis led the PLP in the
2021 Bahamian general election, which was held during the
COVID-19 pandemic and after a sharp downturn in the tourism-dependent Bahamian economy. Outgoing prime minister
Hubert Minnis conceded defeat after the vote. The PLP won 32 of the 39 seats in the
House of Assembly, while the FNM won seven. Davis was re-elected in Cat Island, Rum Cay & San Salvador and delivered his victory speech in Cat Island. Davis was sworn in as the fifth
prime minister of The Bahamas on 17 September 2021, with a public presentation of his instruments of appointment held the next day. Davis also became minister of finance in the new government. Cooper was appointed deputy prime minister and minister of tourism, investment and aviation. His government lowered the standard
value-added tax rate from 12 percent to 10 percent and later removed VAT from unprepared food sold in grocery stores from 1 April 2026. Davis made climate change and climate finance for small island developing states a major theme of his foreign policy. In August 2022, he hosted Caribbean leaders in Nassau ahead of
COP27 and urged regional governments to press developed countries for climate finance and eligibility rules based on vulnerability to climate shocks. He served as chairman of the
Caribbean Community from 1 January to 30 June 2023 and presided over the 44th Regular Meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government, held in Nassau in February 2023. Davis's government also received criticism over governance and anti-corruption reforms, including delays in fully implementing the Freedom of Information Act. Similar issues arose over policing and independent oversight. In 2025, the government advanced legislation to create an Independent Commission of Investigations and a protected disclosures framework. On 1 April 2026, Davis announced that Parliament would be dissolved and that an early
general election would be held on 12 May, although an election had not been due until mid-October. ==Personal life==