Thomas M. Davis

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For other persons named Tom Davis, see Tom Davis (disambiguation).
Tom Davis
Thomas M. Davis
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 11th district
In office
January 3, 1995 – November 24, 2008[1]
Preceded by Leslie Byrne
Succeeded by Gerry Connolly
Born January 5, 1949 (1949-01-05) (age 60)
Minot, North Dakota, USA
Birth name Thomas M. Davis III
Nationality American
Political party Republican
Spouse Margaret Rantz (1973-2003)
Jeannemarie Devolites Davis (2004-present)
Residence Vienna, Virginia
Alma mater Amherst College
University of Virginia School of Law
Occupation Politician
Profession Law
Religion Christian Science
Website http://www.tomdavis.org

Thomas M. "Tom" Davis III (born January 5, 1949 in Minot, North Dakota) was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Virginia's 11th congressional district in Northern Virginia. Davis was considering a run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by five-term incumbent and fellow Republican John Warner in the 2008 election, but decided against it.[2] He announced on January 30, 2008, that he would not seek reelection to an eighth term.[3][4] Davis resigned from Congress on November 24, 2008[1].

Contents

[edit] Early life and education

Davis moved to Fairfax County at an early age. He was a U.S. Senate Page and graduated as president of Fairfax high school class. He is a graduate of Amherst College, in political science, and the University of Virginia, in law. He attended Officer Candidate School of the U.S. Army, served on active duty, and spent eight years with the Virginia National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve.

[edit] Political career

Davis was a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors from 1980 to 1994, serving as chairman of the Board of Supervisors from 1991 until his election to the House. During his service as board chairman, Fairfax County was ranked first financially by City and State magazine in their list of Top 50 Counties.[5]

[edit] Congressional career

Davis won election to the House in 1994, the year of the Republican Contract with America. Davis defeated one-term incumbent Leslie Byrne. The Contract with America called for citizen-legislators who would retire after 12 years, instead of career politicians. Davis signed the Contract and voted in favor of the Citizens Legislature Act; however, the bill did not achieve support from the 2/3 majority needed for the amendment to pass. Although the 11th was considered a swing district, Davis was reelected five more times without substantive opposition in part due to his popularity in Fairfax County. He even ran unopposed in 1998 and 2002.

In 2006, however, Davis faced an unexpectedly strong challenge from Democrat Andrew Hurst, but was reelected with 55 percent of the vote—his lowest total since his initial bid against Byrne. Nonetheless, he began fundraising for a Senate bid in 2007.[6] In his 2004 term, on what the Washington Post deems to be most recent "key votes", Davis voted 10 times out of the last 13 times (77 percent) for the Republican party position. Since 2003 on all 1,700 votes, Davis voted over 89 percent in favor of the Republican position.[7]. Nevertheless, Davis is sometimes described as a moderate; he supports some abortion rights and voting rights for the District of Columbia, and opposes the state car tax phase-out as he expressed in the Washingtonian in 2006.

Davis was chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) from 1998 to 2002. According to The Federal Paper, he then sought the chairmanship of the House Government Oversight and Reform Committee. Davis had less seniority than the other contenders for this chairmanship, but some Republicans wanted to reward him for his work as NRCC chairman, including his supervision of a $160 million fundraising effort.[8] Davis's deputy on the NRCC, Tom Reynolds of New York, became the next NRCC chairman.

[edit] House Committee on Government Reform

In 2003, Davis became Chairman of the House Government Reform Committee. He served as Chairman until 2007, when Democrats became the majority party in the House of Representatives. Henry Waxman of California replaced Davis at the gavel. Davis had renamed the committee, removing "Oversight" from the title; one of Waxman's first acts as Chair was to reinstitute the name as the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The Committee is the chief investigative and oversight committee of the House, and has been granted broad jurisdiction. This committee was very active during the Clinton administration. It issued 1,052 subpoenas to probe alleged misconduct by the administration and the Democratic Party between 1997 and 2002. By contrast, Davis and the majority have permitted three subpoenas to the George W. Bush administration, including one to the Defense Department over documents related to Hurricane Katrina.[9][10]

[edit] Walter Reed Army Medical Center

The Washington Post revived a story in 2007 from Salon magazine[11] about conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center that deteriorated rapidly when the operations were transferred to the private contractor IAP. Committee members told Congressional Quarterly they did not want to "embarrass" the Army by publicizing the matter.[12]

[edit] ICG government

Davis's second wife, Jeannemarie Devolites-Davis, was one of the first hires (as a part-time consultant) for ICG, a firm that assists businesses in obtaining government contracts. Their financial relationship, along with financial ties that benefit family members of 64 of the 435 voting members of Congress, was highlighted in the June 2007 ethics report, "Family Affair" by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

At the time of her hire at ICG, Davis was her mentor and campaign manager. After being hired, Devolites married Davis. On July 28, 2006, the Washington Post reported that the Defense Information Systems Agency had reviewed its satellite contract with Artel, Inc., and the agency had preliminarily determined that the contract was ineffective and expensive. Artel then hired ICG for lobbying services. ICG drafted a letter Davis signed to the agency threatening an investigation by his committee if the contract was not awarded. After the Post articles appeared, Davis sought an opinion from the House Ethics Committee. They advised him to be careful to avoid the appearance of any conflict in this matter. The Post published an extensive article on the issue, the company had to register as a lobbyist, and ICG removed a picture from the front page of its website of Davis speaking to ICG clients.[13][14] His wife continues to work for ICG, which paid her $78,000 in 2005 for working 10 to 20 hours a week, primarily at home on her cell phone. She makes $18,000 a year as a Virginia legislator. Her bio continues as the only one on the ICG site to name her spouse.[15]. The same Post writers [16][17] are continuing the investigation of oversight of contractual influence by the committee and its chair in November[18] and December 2006.[19][20][21]

[edit] Major League Baseball team in Washington

Davis was accused of threatening Major League Baseball with an investigation when a consortium that included George Soros offered to buy the Washington Nationals.[22] "I think Major League Baseball understands the stakes", Davis told Roll Call magazine. "I don't think they want to get involved in the political fights." Davis, who convened the recent congressional hearings on steroids, added, "I don't think it's the Nats that get hurt. I think it's Major League Baseball that gets hurt. They enjoy all sorts of exemptions from antitrust laws."[23]

[edit] Smart growth development

Davis also appeared at a local zoning meeting to oppose a smart growth plan near the Vienna Metro station. Approval of the project, to build what was called a "mini-city" within walking distance of the Metro, was considered routine. Some of the longest commutes to work in the nation begin in Virginia — second only to New York City — and in Prince William County in particular.[24] The project was a key resolution to congestion in the congressional district. Davis's pledge to approve the legislation led several county supervisors to accuse him of meddling in a local land-use issue.[25][26]

One politician who spoke to Davis says the congressman told him that he opposes Pulte Homes' MetroWest project because "all it does is produce Democrats."[27]

In July 2006, Davis wrote a letter to Virginia Governor Tim Kaine discouraging the state from constructing an underground Metrorail through Tysons Corner. According to a July 17, 2006 story in The Washington Post, Davis said switching to a tunnel in Tysons would require reviews that could delay the rail line by as much as two years. On February 26, 2007, The Post reported that Davis switched positions.

[edit] Jennifer and David Safavian

One of 12 counsels for oversight and investigations on the House Government Reform Committee is Jennifer Safavian, wife of David Safavian, the first person convicted in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. A former legislative director for Davis submitted a request that he receive no jail time,[28] but the judge ruled Safavian's conduct merited incarceration.[29]

David Safavian had replaced Angela Styles, who was forced from the General Services Administration after Davis wrote letters to her bosses at the Office of Management and Budget. He had written to Mitchell E. Daniels Jr. and Joshua Bolten, Styles's superiors at the Office of Management and Budget, a.[30] Prior to his GSA job, Safavian had no government contracts experience. He did have connections to Davis, as a lobbyist with Grover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), he worked closely with the NRCC when Davis was chair, and presented Davis with an ATR award."[31] ATR has been found to have operated as tax-exempt despite not qualifying for tax-exempt status.[32]

[edit] Schiavo subpoena

Among notable recent controversies involving the committee under Davis was in the Terri Schiavo case. The committee subpoena, signed by Davis, ordered the appearance of Schiavo, her husband, Michael, and her doctors. The subpoenas specified that the witnesses bring to the hearing "all medical and other equipment that provides nutrition and hydration...in its current and continuing state of operations." Davis issued a joint statement with House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois) that stated: "This inquiry should give hope to Terri, her parents and friends, and the millions of people throughout the world who are praying for her safety. This fight is not over."[33][34] Many legal scholars criticized this action as an inappropriate congressional interventions in an ongoing court case that defied the rule of law and amounted to a bill of attainder — not against the party the politicians are attempting to aid, but against the party on the other side of the courtroom.[35][36]

[edit] K Street Project and NRCC fundraising

As chairman of the NRCC, Davis's chief responsibility was fundraising for members of Congress, and his work overlapped with the financial efforts of the Republican Party's K Street Project and the fundraising scandals involving Abramoff and DeLay. Davis himself signed an NRCC check for $500,000 in 1999, the largest amount donated by the NRCC, while he was chair of the committee. The NRCC was fined by the Federal Elections Commission for transferring the funds because it was transferred between political action committees for the same candidates in violation of contribution limits.[37] The PAC involved, the U.S. Family Network, is connected with Abramoff, Bob Ney, and Willie Tan, a businessman in the Northern Mariana Islands, all currently associated with a political scandal.

[edit] Legislative activity

Davis was chair of the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina. Democrats, who had proposed an independent investigation, objected and did not officially take part in the committee. The committee proceeded, eventually producing a stinging report critical of government's response to the disaster. [38]

Davis introduced the Elizabeth Morgan Act, passed in 1996. In 2003, a federal appeals court ruled that the act was an unconstitutional bill of attainder.[39]

Davis has been instrumental in getting federal funding for the replacement of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.[40][41]

Davis sponsored legislation creating a financial control board for Washington, D.C. He was in charge, until 2000, of the Government Reform Committee's Subcommittee on the District of Columbia, generally favoring allowing the District government more autonomy.

Apparently in a surprise to the House Judiciary Committee, the Reform Committee passed HR 2043 (the DC Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act), a bill Davis introduced to provide the District of Columbia with voting representation in Congress.[42][43] This bill differs from other bills that would grant the district the right to elect Representatives. HR 2043 requires the addition of two representatives, one in Washington, D.C., and one in Utah, by raising the number of Representatives from 435 to 437. Originally, the number of House seats would return to 435 after the 2010 Census, with Washington, D.C. retaining a full vote in the House.[44][45][46], but later versions of the bill make the expansion to 437 seats permanent. The bill did not make it to the House floor, however.

The bill was reintroduced, cosponsored by Davis, as the "District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007", as H.R. 1433 in the 110th Congress. The bill permanently increases the size of the House by two members. One seat will go to the District of Columbia and the other seat will go to the next state in line to get a congressional seat. Based on the 2000 decennial census and apportionment calculations, Utah will get the second seat until the reapportionment taking place after the 2010 Decennial Census.[47] On March 13, 2007 it passed the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform with a vote of 24-5.[48]

[edit] 2004 and 2006 election campaigns

Davis's congressional district was redistricted after the 2000 census, which increased the percentage of Republicans in the district. In 2004, he defeated his relatively unknown Democratic challenger, Ken Longmyer, by a 60 percent to 39 percent margin. In the race, Davis outspent Longmyer, $1,835,000 to $72,000.[49]

In the November 2006 election, Davis defeated Democrat Andrew Hurst by 11 percentage points. It was the closest and costliest race Davis faced in 12 years. In financing his campaign, Davis outspent Hurst almost 9-to-1, $2,607,125 to $310,561.[50]

[edit] Senate campaign

Main article: United States Senate election in Virginia, 2008

On September 15, Davis told WTOP's Politics Program that he was running for the Senate seat being vacated by John Warner. He said that he has been assembling money and staff for the contest, but was delaying a formal announcement until November. It had been presumed that he would face former Governor Jim Gilmore. However, Davis announced in October 2007 that he would not be running after all, in part due to the state Republican Party's decision to choose its nominee at a nominating convention rather than in a primary.

Davis argued that a primary would expose the candidates to the kind of environment they would face in November. It was also thought that a primary would have favored Davis due to his popularity in voter-rich Northern Virginia. In contrast, the delegates at the nominating convention will be made up mostly of party activists; the state's Republican activist base is tilted heavily to the right. Gilmore had argued strongly for a convention, claiming that a primary would leave the winner short of cash. This was no small consideration. The race for the Democratic nomination essentially ended when former Governor Mark Warner announced his candidacy; Warner has the ability to self-finance due to his considerable fortune.

Davis told the National Press Club that he is considering a challenge to Virginia's other Senator, Jim Webb, in 2012.[51]

[edit] Post-political career

On November 17, 2008, Davis joined Deloitte Consulting in their Washington, D.C. office.[52][53] He resigned from Congress on November 24, 2008[1].

Davis currently serves as President and CEO of the Republican Main Street Partnership, a moderate Republican organization.[54]

He has also started teaching a class at George Mason University, teaching "Southern Politics" in the 2008 Fall 2008 Semester - current.

[edit] Political positions

Davis's district is in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. He has been active in recent effort to change federal procurement and contracting practices that make it faster to award contracts but also easier to award no-bid, "cost-plus" and "share in savings" contracts. These contracts have especially involved the GSA and the Department of Homeland Security.[55] Critics of the reforms point to the increasing campaign contributions from beneficiaries of the contracts and a reduction in audit and auditors, oversight, and performance by contractors after the changes.[56]

Tom Davis was one of only eleven Republicans to vote against the Contract with America Tax Relief Act [57] that cut taxes by $189 billion over five years, including lowering the capital gains tax rate and easing the "marriage penalty,"[58] and supported a tax hike referendum to raise sales taxes in northern Virginia by 4.5 to 5%.[59]

Davis supports Virginia's Right-to-work law, which is opposed by organized labor.[60]

Davis now opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants and supported H.R. 4437, the immigration reform bill sponsored by Rep. James Sensenbrenner. In June 2006 his criticism of the immigration response included the same ideas that were key provisions in the House bill he supported four months later.[61]

Davis has voted to support stem cell research. He is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership, a group of Republicans who describe themselves as "mainstream".

In 2007, expressing disapproval [62] with the Democratic Party resolution disapproving of the Iraq troop surge, Davis nevertheless broke with his party line to vote for the resolution. [63]

Project Vote Smart reports that Davis has high approval ratings from business groups, but significantly lower ratings from groups that support abortion rights, environmental protection, and civil liberties.[64]

Davis was supportive of his wife's efforts for harsher gun laws in Virginia.

[edit] Personal life

Davis is a member of the Christian Science Church.

In 1973, Davis married Margaret "Peggy" Rantz, a medical doctor. They have three children together: Carlton, Pamela, and Shelley. He divorced her in late 2003 and announced his intention to marry Jeannemarie Devolites, in February 2004.[65] They married in June of that year. Davis's first public involvement with Devolites was in 1997 when he managed her fourth campaign, her first successful one, and was her biggest campaign contributor. Over the next decade she moved from being a delegate to a member of the Virginia Senate. Davis's political action committees gave her more than $172,000 by mid-2006.[13] He has four stepdaughters from this marriage.

[edit] Electoral history

Virginia's 11th congressional district: Results 1994–2006[66]
Year Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct
1994 Leslie L. Byrne 84,104 45% Tom Davis 98,216 53% Gordon S. Cruickshank Independent 3,246 2% *
1996 Thomas J. Horton 74,701 35% Tom Davis 138,758 64% C. W. "Levi" Levy Independent 2,842 1% *
1998 (no candidate) Tom Davis 91,603 82% C. W. "Levi" Levy Independent 18,807 17% Write-ins 1,701 2%
2000 M. L. "Mike" Corrigan 83,455 34% Tom Davis 150,395 62% Robert K. McBride Independent 4,774 2% C. W. "Levi" Levy Independent 4,059 2% *
2002 (no candidate) Tom Davis 135,379 83% Frank W. Creel Constitution 26,892 16% Write-ins 1,027 1%
2004 Ken Longmyer 118,305 38% Tom Davis 186,299 60% Joseph P. Oddo Independent 4,338 1% *
2006 Andrew L. Hurst 102,511 44% Tom Davis 130,468 55% Ferdinando C. Greco Independent Green 2,042 1% *
*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1992, write-ins received 145 votes. In 1994, write-ins received 114 votes. In 1996, write-ins received 181 votes. In 2000, write-ins received 285 votes. In 2004, write-ins received 291 votes. In 2006, write-ins received 259 votes.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c "OFFICES OF THE ELEVENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA TO REMAIN OPEN TO SERVE AND ASSIST CONSTITUENTS". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. 2008-11-25. http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/vacancies_pr.html?pr=district&vid=17. Retrieved on 2008-11-28. "Representative Davis resigned from Congress effective November 24, 2008." 
  2. ^ Davis Confirms He Won't Seek Senate Seat washingtonpost.com
  3. ^ Another Republican congressman to retire cnn.com
  4. ^ Amy Gardner, U.S. Rep. Davis to Retire, Ending 14-Year Tenure in Congress, 2008-01-30.
  5. ^ Final Board Summary, July 12, 1993 fairfaxcounty.gov
  6. ^ Post Politics Hour washingtonpost.com
  7. ^ Key votes by Tom Davis Washington Post
  8. ^ Hill Oversight Committees to Get New Chairs The Federal Paper, November 18, 2002, Vol. 1 No. 5
  9. ^ article Washingtonpost.com
  10. ^ Boston Globe boston.com
  11. ^ war room www.salon.com
  12. ^ CQ Today - Members Were Aware of Lapses at Walter Reed public.cq.com
  13. ^ a b Wife, Friend Tie Congressman to Consulting Firm washingtonpost.com
  14. ^ ICG Government via Internet Archive
  15. ^ Devolites Davis ICG biography, retrieved 1/1/2007
  16. ^ Articles by Scott Hingham at the Washington Post
  17. ^ Articles by Robert O'Harrow at the Washington Post
  18. ^ "Report Finds DHS Lax on Contracting Procedures" washingtonpost.com
  19. ^ "GSA Chief Seeks to Cut Budget For Audits" washingtonpost.com
  20. ^ "Trio From Hill Ask GSA Head Not to Shift Audit Burden" washingtonpost.com
  21. ^ "Interior, Pentagon Faulted In Audits" washingtonpost.com
  22. ^ Washington Post, Taking Aim At Soros Is Hardly Politic washingtonpost.com
  23. ^ USA Today, Soros's bid for Nationals gets political, 6/28/2005 usatoday.com
  24. ^ Average Travel Time to Work census.gov
  25. ^ Lawmaker Steps In on Va. Growth washingtonpost.com
  26. ^ Metro Postpones Vienna Land Sale washingtonpost.com
  27. ^ Welcome to Fairfax — if You Vote Red washingtonpost.com
  28. ^ Abramoff Figure Argues for No Jail Time cached here: archive
  29. ^ Official in Abramoff Case Sentenced to 18 Months washingtonpost.com
  30. ^ "Are We Better Off: Contracts With America" MotherJones.com
  31. ^ ATR photos atr.org
  32. ^ "Senate report questions tax status of groups linked to Abramoff" USA Today
  33. ^ House to Issue Subpoena Stopping Removal of Feeding Tubes from Terri Schiavo seniorjournal.com
  34. ^ Republicans flex subpoena muscle sptimes.com
  35. ^ Law and Politics in Schiavo Case npr.org
  36. ^ The Constitution and Terri Schiavo npr.org
  37. ^ News Release, Party Misuse of Soft Money To Pay for Issue Ads Results in $280,000 Civil Penalty fec.gov
  38. ^ "A Failure of Initiative" (PDF). http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/15feb20061230/www.gpoaccess.gov/katrinareport/fullreport.pdf. 
  39. ^ "Foretich v. United States 2003 striking down the Elizabeth Morgan Act" (PDF). http://pacer.cadc.uscourts.gov/docs/common/opinions/200312/02-5224a.pdf. 
  40. ^ H.R. 2563 (106th Cong.): Woodrow Wilson Bridge Financing Act of 1999 govtrack.us
  41. ^ Wilson Bridge Deadlock Broken washingtonpost.com
  42. ^ Bill to Give D.C. Vote in House Advances washingtonpost.com
  43. ^ House Panel Endorses D.C. Vote washingtonpost.com
  44. ^ DC FAIR Act (DC Fairness in Representation Act, H.R. 2043) dcvote.org
  45. ^ LWV: Support and Cosponsor H.R. 2043, the DC Fairness in Representation Act lwv.org
  46. ^ Cosponsor list for H.R.2043 thomas.loc.gov
  47. ^ Text of H.R.1433 (110th Congress) oversight.house.gov
  48. ^ Mary Beth Sheridan (March 14, 2007). "Bill to Give D.C. Full House Vote Advances". Washington Post. p. B01. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/13/AR2007031300760.html. 
  49. ^ Congressional Races: Total Raised and Spent for Va 11th, 2004 opensecrets.org
  50. ^ Congressional Races: Total Raised and Spent for Va 11th, 2006 opensecrets.org
  51. ^ Davis expresses doubt on Va. Senate race as Warner gains TheHill.com
  52. ^ Washington Post (2008). Va. Legislator to Join Deloitte Consulting. Retrieved November 15, 2008.
  53. ^ Synder, Jim (2008-11-25). "Davis joins Deloitte". The Hill. http://thehill.com/business--lobby/davis-joins-deloitte-2008-11-17.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-28. "Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) has accepted a position as federal government services director at Deloitte, a consulting firm." 
  54. ^ Republican Main Street Partnership (2009). Board of Directors. Retrieved January 15, 2009.
  55. ^ 9/11 Bill's Provision on Homeland Security Unions Raises Questions of Its Purpose, Parentage washingtonpost.com
  56. ^ See the series on contractor oversight scandals at the Washington Post
  57. ^ FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 295 Office of the Clerk U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved September 2, 2007
  58. ^ Tom Davis is No Economic Conservative The Club For Growth. Press Release August 31, 2007. Retrieved September 2, 2007
  59. ^ Virginia's Newest Bad Tax The Daily Standard November 4, 2002
  60. ^ Labor Day Message from MTD President, Ron Ault metaltrades.org
  61. ^ Tom Davis on Immigration youtube.com
  62. ^ Fairbanks tnr.com
  63. ^ Clerk house.gov
  64. ^ Project Vote Smart: Interest Group Ratings for Rep. Davis vote-smart.org
  65. ^ Va. Republicans Devolites, Davis to Marry washingtonpost.com
  66. ^ "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/index.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-10. 

[edit] External links

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United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Leslie Byrne		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 11th congressional district
1995-2008		 Succeeded by
Gerry Connolly
Party political offices
Preceded by
Bill Paxon
New York
 Chairman of National Republican Congressional Committee
1997–2003		 Succeeded by
Tom Reynolds
New York
Political offices
Preceded by
Dan Burton
Indiana
 Chairman of House Government Reform Committee
2003–2007		 Succeeded by
Henry Waxman
California
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_M._Davis"
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