Bio: Rep. Artur Davis

U.S. Representative Artur Davis was reelected in 2008 to serve his fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He represents Alabama's Seventh Congressional District, a 12-county area that spans from Birmingham and Tuscaloosa to the Black Belt.

In a relatively short period of time, Davis has made his mark as an effective legislator who has won national attention for his leadership on a range of issues. He serves as a member of the prestigious Ways and Means Committee, which oversees economic policy. Davis is only the tenth Alabamian in 190 years to serve on this committee, which is the only congressional committee actually described in the Constitution.

Davis has already won several notable legislative victories that have benefitted both the urban and rural portions of his congressional district. When Republicans controlled Congress, his skill at forging bipartisan coalitions helped him pass legislation to save the HOPE VI program for revitalizing public housing communities. During the Democratic majority, Davis was the leading force behind reopening the Pigford Black farmers lawsuit. He has also been a persuasive voice for creative ideas that would expand health care and improve educational performance.

Congressman Davis, a Montgomery native, graduated with honors from both Harvard University and Harvard Law School and has had a nearly 15-year career in public service. As a law student, he worked for the Southern Poverty Law Center and U.S. Senator Howell Heflin. From 1994 - 1998, he compiled a near 100 percent trial conviction record as a federal prosecutor in Montgomery. From 1998-2002, Congressman Davis worked as a litigator in practice.

Davis has won a variety of honors, including being selected by Esquire magazine as one of the 10 best Congressmen in America. He was unopposed in 2008 and in 2006, Congressman Davis received the largest total popular vote cast in any Congressional primary in the country. Davis' new, pragmatic style of politics has made him one of the most popular political figures in Alabama.