Paul T. Davis (born July 12, 1972) is an American politician and lawyer. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, he represented the 46th district in the

Kansas House of Representatives The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for craftin ...

from 2003 to 2015, serving as minority leader from 2009 to 2015. Davis was the unsuccessful Democratic Party nominee in Kansas's 2014 gubernatorial election and also ran a close campaign for Congress in

Kansas's 2nd congressional district Kansas' 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Kansas that covers most of the eastern part of the state, except for the core of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The district encompasses less than a quarter ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

Early life, education, and career

Davis is the son of an elementary school teacher and a public administration professor at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

. Davis attended

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

public schools and graduated from Lawrence High School.Davis seen as possible Democratic opponent to Gov. Brownback
''

Lawrence Journal World The ''Lawrence Journal-World'' is a daily newspaper published in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, by Ogden Newspapers. History Though the ''Journal-World'' title came into existence in 1911, the paper dates itself to 1858, according to the ...

, Scott Rothschild, August 5, 2013. Retrieved October 9, 2018. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the

, Davis went on to obtain a Juris Doctor from

Washburn University School of Law The Washburn University School of Law is a public law school located on the main campus of Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. Washburn Law was founded in 1903. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and has been a member of ...

. Davis and his wife, Stephanie, have a daughter who was born in 2010. Stephanie is a psychologist, specializing in the treatment of homeless veterans suffering from trauma. Davis was first elected to the House in 2003 when his predecessor, Troy Findley, left the legislature to join the staff of newly elected Governor

Kathleen Sebelius Kathleen Sebelius (; née Gilligan, born May 15, 1948) is an American businesswoman and politician who served as the 21st United States secretary of Health and Human Services from 2009 until 2014. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sebeli ...

. He became the House Minority Leader in 2008, and worked with moderate republicans to pass a budget. Davis was an intern for former Kansas Senate Minority Leader

Anthony Hensley Anthony Hensley (born September 2, 1953) is a former Democratic member of the Kansas Senate, representing the 19th district since 1992. He was the Minority Leader from 1996 through 2021 and has also been a committeeman of the Democratic Preci ...

and former Congressman

Jim Slattery James Charles Slattery (born August 4, 1948) is an American politician. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 1995 representing Kansas's 2nd congressional district as a Democrat, was the Democratic nominee for governor in ...

. He is a partner in the Lawrence, Kansas, law firm of Fagan, Emert & Davis, LLC, which specializes in commercial litigation, family law, personal injury litigation, business and corporate law, federal and state criminal defense, Social Security Disability, real estate including foreclosures.

Political career

Kansas House of Representatives

Davis was appointed to serve in the

in 2002. He represented the 46th district until 2015 and served as minority leader from 2009 to 2015. He was the Policy Chair for the House Democratic Caucus for three years prior to becoming minority leader of the Kansas House.

2014 Kansas gubernatorial campaign

Davis ran for

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

in 2014 against incumbent Republican

Sam Brownback Samuel Dale Brownback (born September 12, 1956) is an American attorney, politician, diplomat, and member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party who served as the United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Fr ...

and

Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

Keen Umbehr. Upon announcing his candidacy, Davis stated, "As Kansans, we believe we have a moral obligation to educate our children, reward hard work, build a strong middle class and cooperate with one another. These values are what make us Kansans." Davis's bid was endorsed by over 100 Kansas Republican politicians. One who did so was former Kansas Senate President Dick Bond.Public Official of the Year, 2000 Dick Bond
''

Governing Magazine ''Governing'' is a website, edited and published in Washington, D.C., that covers state and local government in the United States. Originally a national monthly magazine, it was published in print 1987 and 2019. It covers policy, politics, and the ...

'', Alan Greenblatt, 2000. Retrieved October 7, 2018. His rationale for doing so was created by the state's fiscal difficulties brought on by Brownback's substantial tax cutting policies. The organization Republicans for Kansas Values stated that their primary reason for the endorsement was not to elect a Democrat, but to defeat incumbent governor Sam Brownback. Davis was defeated by Brownback in the general election, 49.8% to 46.1%.

2018 U.S. House campaign

Davis was the Democratic Party's nominee in the 2018 election in

. The seat was open following the retirement of Republican incumbent

Lynn Jenkins Lynn Haag Jenkins (born June 10, 1963) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as the U.S. representative for , in office from 2009 to 2019. She previously served as Kansas State Treasurer from 2003 to 2008, in the Kansas House of Repre ...

. Davis carried the 2nd district in 2014, when he lost a close contest for election as governor to incumbent

. The seat has flipped between parties repeatedly. It has been held by Democrat

, who stepped down to run for governor in 1994, and Republican

Jim Ryun James Ronald Ryun (born April 29, 1947) is an American former Republican politician and Olympic track and field athlete, who at his peak was widely considered the world's top middle-distance runner. He won a silver medal in the 1500 m at the 1 ...

, who represented the district for six terms until he was unseated by one-term Democrat

Nancy Boyda Nancy Boyda (born August 2, 1955) is an American chemist and politician. She is a former Democratic U.S. Representative for . On November 4, 2008, Boyda was defeated for re-election to a second term by Kansas State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins. ...

. Boyda, in turn, was defeated by Republican

in 2008. Jenkins declined to run for reelection in 2018.Kansas congressional candidate who ran the Iditarod is having his honesty challenged
''

Anchorage Daily News The ''Anchorage Daily News'' is a daily newspaper published by the Binkley Co., and based in Anchorage, Alaska. It is the most widely read newspaper and news website (adn.com) in the state of Alaska. The newspaper is headquartered in Anchorage, ...

'', Roxana Hegeman and John Hanna (AP), October 2, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2018. Republican Steve Watkins narrowly defeated Davis in the general election in November 2018.

Lobbying

Davis registered as a lobbyist in the state of Kansas in December 2020 and represents clients including tobacco, private health insurance, and casinos.

References

External links

Campaign websiteRepresentative Paul Davis, House Minority Leader
official Kansas Legislature site (2003–2014) * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Paul 1972 births Candidates in the 2014 United States elections Kansas lawyers Living people Democratic Party members of the Kansas House of Representatives People from Woodland, California Politicians from Lawrence, Kansas University of Kansas alumni Washburn University alumni Candidates in the 2018 United States elections 21st-century American politicians