Artur Davis (born October 9, 1967), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 2003, representing the 7th District of Alabama (map), a district created under the Voting Rights Act to be black-majority, and which includes the rural black belt area as well as urban portions of Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. Davis was born in Montgomery Alabama. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard University in 1990 and Cum Laude from Harvard Law School in 1993, and was a civil rights lawyer and Assistant United States Attorney before he ran for the House in the Democratic primary against 10-year incumbent Earl F. Hilliard. Davis had run against Hilliard in 2000 and lost narrowly. Hilliard was criticized for taking a trip to Libya in 1997 despite U.S. sanctions. Hilliard also had voted against a 2001 resolution expressing solidarity with Israel in its fight against terrorism. Davis received many contributions from pro-Israel groups and was helped by the fact that Hilliard's district had been greatly altered in 2002 redistricting, adding many white voters in Birmingham. Davis defeated Hilliard narrowly.
Davis is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and resides in Birmingham, Alabama. Known as a bipartisan legislator, he has earned praise from publications such as Roll Call and the National Journal. Davis was appointed to the Senior Whip Team for the Democratic Caucus of the 109th Congress and is the Co-Chair of the centrist House New Democrat Coalition, as well as the Southern Regional Co-Chair for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Seen as a rising star, he announced in May 2005 that he would like to run for a seat in the United States Senate in 2008, or for governor of Alabama in 2010.
