U.S. House of Representatives
Elections 2002 In the
2002 elections, Davis challenged
Ken Lucas, the Democratic
incumbent but was narrowly defeated 51%–48%.
2004 Lucas declined to run for re-election, honoring a promise to serve only three terms. In the 2004 race for the
open seat, Davis defeated his
Democratic opponent
Nick Clooney, father of actor
George Clooney, 54%–44%.
2006 On January 30, 2006, Lucas announced he would challenge Davis later that year. The announcement instantly turned the race into one of the hottest in the campaign cycle, even though the 4th is considered one of the most Republican districts in Kentucky. Despite a substantial Democratic advantage in voter registration, the influence of the heavily Republican northern Kentucky suburbs kept the district in Republican hands from 1967 until Lucas won the seat in 1998. In August
Congressional Quarterly rated this race as "Lean Republican." In late July the Washington Post also rated the race as a toss-up. A SurveyUSA poll released on July 25, 2006, showed Lucas leading 50% to 41%. However, Davis regained the lead in a SurveyUSA poll later in the cycle (46% Davis – 44% Lucas). Davis also had a decisive lead in fundraising. The
Cook Political Report, an independent non-partisan newsletter, rated the race for Kentucky's 4th Congressional District as a "Republican Toss-Up", meaning either party has a good chance of winning. Davis won re-election 52%–43%, a margin of 17,023 votes.
2010 , Sen.
Jim DeMint and Rep.
Ron Paul in 2010 Davis was challenged by Democrat John Waltz, whom he defeated with 69% of the votes cast.
Tenure Davis has a solidly
conservative voting record; according to his congressional website, he has positioned himself as
pro-life and in favor of industrial deregulation. In November 2005, Davis made headlines for his response to
Pennsylvania representative
John Murtha's call for withdrawal from Iraq, saying, "Ayman Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's deputy, as well as Abu Musab Zarqawi, have made it quite clear in their internal propaganda that they cannot win unless they can drive the Americans out. And they know that they can't do that there, so they've brought the battlefield to the halls of Congress. And, frankly, the liberal leadership have put politics ahead of sound, fiscal and national security policy. And what they have done is cooperated with our enemies and are emboldening our enemies." Davis faced harsh criticism for his remarks, including, for example, from the Democratic Veterans of Northern Kentucky, and sparked a drive led by national Democratic Party leaders to get Ken Lucas to run against him in 2006. Davis is a staunch advocate of a federal prohibition of online
poker. In 2006, he supported H.R. 4411, the
Goodlatte-Leach Internet Gambling Prohibition Act. In 2008, he opposed H.R. 5767, the Payment Systems Protection Act (a bill that sought to place a moratorium on enforcement of the
Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act while the
U.S. Treasury Department and the
Federal Reserve defined "unlawful Internet gambling"). In October 2009, Davis filed the REINS (Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny) Act which would give Congress an up or down vote on major rules. A re-introduced version of the bill passed the House on December 7, 2011, but was not taken up by the Senate. In 2011, Davis voted for the
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 as part of a controversial provision that allows the government and the military to indefinitely detain American citizens and others without trial.
Contributors The Davis campaign has received contributions from the
Americans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee (ARMPAC), which was led by former Texas Congressman
Tom DeLay. As of June 30, 2006, according to the
Federal Election Commission, of the $2.4 million contributed to the Davis campaign for the current 2006 electoral cycle, $10,000 was contributed by ARMPAC. Tom DeLay is the subject of indictments sought by
Ronnie Earle, the district attorney for
Travis County,
Texas, alleging violations of Texas campaign-finance law. Judge
Pat Priest has dismissed one indictment against DeLay, the second has not yet come to trial. The charges against DeLay are considered by some to be politically motivated. Democrats have indicated that they consider the ARMPAC contributions to be a campaign issue. Davis was never accused of any misconduct. Davis has received donations from Republican
Duke Cunningham, who pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud, and tax evasion. Davis has not chosen to give back the money from Cunningham, while many other recipients have. Davis received a donation from Congressman
Bob Ney, who pleaded guilty for bribery and his involvement with convicted felon
Jack Abramoff.
Controversies On April 12, 2008, at a Northern Kentucky Lincoln Day dinner, Davis compared the campaign slogans of
Barack Obama to the sales pitch of a "snake oil salesman". He said in his remarks at the GOP dinner that he participated in a "highly classified, national security simulation" with Obama. "I'm going to tell you something: That boy's finger does not need to be on the button," Davis added. "He could not make a decision in that simulation that related to a nuclear threat to this country." Davis also made reference to Obama as being put into the Senate by someone who will probably spend many years of his life in prison (presumably a reference to
Tony Rezko) and that Obama had never had a real job before. Davis later apologized for his comment in a letter:
Resignation On July 31, 2012, Geoff Davis resigned from Congress due to family health issues, effective immediately. Governor
Steve Beshear called for a special election to fill the seat to occur the same day as the general election in November, which would allow the winner to be sworn in immediately.
Committee assignments •
Committee on Ways and Means •
Subcommittee on Trade •
Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures ==References==