Richard H. Davis, Jr. (born 1957) is an American

political consultant Political consulting is a form of consulting that consists primarily of advising and assisting political campaigns. Although the most important role of political consultants is arguably the development and production of mass media (largely tel ...

. He previously served as a partner and

chief operating officer A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the "C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if t ...

of Pegasus Capital Advisors L.P., a

private equity firm A private equity firm is an investment management company that provides financial backing and makes investments in the private equity of startup or operating companies through a variety of loosely affiliated investment strategies including leve ...

specializing in sustainable development projects. He was a managing partner of the business development and public affairs consulting firm Davis-Manafort, located in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

. He was the national campaign manager of

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

's 2008 Presidential campaign (from July 11, 2007 to November 4, 2008). In that capacity, he oversaw the development and implementation of all campaign strategy and policy development. Davis also served McCain as national campaign manager for his 2000 presidential campaign (April 6, 1999 to March 9, 2000).

Career

Born to a Navy family, Davis studied at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

. After learning the campaign business in Alabama and Mississippi, he became national field director for the

College Republican National Committee The College Republican National Committee (CRNC) is a national organization for College Republicans — college and university students who support the Republican Party of the United States. The organization is known as an active recruiting tool f ...

during

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

's 1980 presidential bid. Davis served on President

's White House staff from 1985 until March 1987 as a Principal Associate Director in the Office of Cabinet Affairs and Special Assistant to the President. As the Associate Director, his responsibilities included the coordination and development of US domestic policy in the White House. He oversaw all policy planning and decision-making for issues related to Environment and Energy. During his tenure at the White House, Davis served as Principal Director of the Domestic Policy Council, in the Office of the Cabinet Secretary. As such he coordinated policies and projects, which included the President's Catastrophic Illness Bill, the Omnibus Health Bill of 1986, the Privatization of Conrail, the President's Space Commercialization Policy, the Rogers Commission, and the President’s Competitiveness Package of 1987. Davis was also a member of a number of the interagency working groups including the Special Interagency Working Group on Space, the Health Policy Working Group and the Working Group on Environment. In addition to his service in the White House, Davis held appointments in the Department of Health and Human Services, the Commerce Department, International Trade Administration, the Department of Interior and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. In 1990, Davis served as Consultant to the White House Conference on Science and Economic Research Related to Global Climate Change. He managed agenda development and background research for the

George H. W. Bush Administration George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

. Over 20 countries participated in the first ever international conference hosted by a President dealing directly with

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

. He left the Reagan White House to work with longtime lobbyist

Paul Manafort Paul John Manafort Jr. (; born April 1, 1949) is an American lobbyist, political consultant, and attorney. A long-time Republican Party campaign consultant, he chaired the Trump presidential campaign from June to August 2016. Manafort served ...

, founding the lobbying firm Davis, Manafort. Between 1998 and 2008, the firm was paid at least $2.8 million for lobbying Congress, promoting pro-Russian policies with regard to Ukraine. Davis serves on the Council on American Politics, which brings leaders from the forefront of today's political and communications arena together to address issues facing the growth and enrichment of GW’s Graduate School of Political Management.

Domestic political experience

* 1976 Chairman, Alabama College Republicans. * 1979 Staff member, Republican National Committee. * 1980 Regional Director, Commitment ’80 Reagan/Bush Campaign. * 1982 Campaign Manager, Paul Trible’s successful US Senate campaign. * 1984 National Convention Director, Reagan/Bush Re-Election Campaign. * 1988 Presidential Debate Coordinator, Bush/Quayle 1988 Presidential Campaign. * 1996 Deputy Campaign Manager, 1996 Presidential Campaign of Senator Bob Dole.

International political experience

In addition to political campaigns in the United States, Davis has extensive experience as an international political consultant in Asia, Europe and Latin America. Through his firm, Davis Manafort Inc., he has coordinated Presidential, Parliamentary, Gubernatorial and Referendum campaigns in over a dozen countries. His activities also include developing and implementing democracy building campaigns in foreign countries.

2000 Presidential campaign

Davis served as Manafort's deputy in orchestrating the 1996

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

; both would later join

Bob Dole Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Republican Leader of the Senate during the final 11 years of his te ...

's presidential team. While working for Dole, Davis told a reporter that he was "blown away" by McCain's unconventional politics. He joined McCain's first election bid in 1999, as campaign manager.

Homeownership Alliance

In 2000, Davis became the head of a group called the Homeownership Alliance, a

Fannie Mae The Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA), commonly known as Fannie Mae, is a United States government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) and, since 1968, a publicly traded company. Founded in 1938 during the Great Depression as part of the N ...

and

Freddie Mac The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC), commonly known as Freddie Mac, is a publicly traded, government-sponsored enterprise (GSE), headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia.

Reform Institute

When McCain started the

Reform Institute The Reform Institute is an American non-partisan, not-for-profit think tank based in Alexandria, Virginia, that describes itself as centrist oriented. According to its website it is an "organization working to strengthen the foundations of our democ ...

in 2001 to promote campaign finance reform, he involved Davis. In 2002, Davis was paid $120,000 as an institute consultant; in 2003, he was paid $110,000 in fees. In 2004 and 2005, when he was president of the non-profit institute, his salary totaled $165,000. Tax forms said he worked five hours a week or "as needed."

2008 Presidential campaign

Role

In 2006, Davis helped plan McCain's next White House run, envisioning a corporate-style campaign modeled after President Bush's 2004 bid. He began McCain's 2008 presidential election campaign as the chief executive. In July 2007, with the resignations of campaign manager Terry Nelson and chief strategist John Weaver, he took the position of Campaign Manager. In July 2008,

Steve Schmidt Stephen Edward Schmidt (born September 28, 1970) is an American communications and public affairs strategist who worked on Republican political campaigns, including those of President George W. Bush, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

was brought in to take charge of day to day campaign activities, although Davis retained the title of campaign manager.

Payments

In 2006, Davis and Manafort formed the company 3eDC, an Internet firm, which the McCain campaign selected to oversee the campaign's Web site and online fund raising. The company was paid $340,000 before the contract's cancellation in April 2007; in mid-June, the campaign reported that it still owed the company $721,000. In all, the McCain campaign paid $971,860 to the company. In June 2008,

Campaign Money Watch Campaign Money Watch is an independent, non-profit, and non-partisan political activist organization, organized as a 527 group. It is primarily known for ads it ran against Republican candidate John McCain in the run up to the 2008 United States pre ...

, a 527 independent political group, filed a federal complaint that the company had improperly reduced the amount the campaign owed it by $107,000. This complaint was found to have no cause and dismissed by the FEC in June 2009. In April 2008, after McCain became the presumptive Republican nominee, 3eDC was paid $20,000 by the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...

(RNC). In June 2008, the RNC and 3eDC were negotiating a larger contract that could be worth $2 million or $3 million. FEC expenditure reports for the RNC and the McCain campaign show that this never materialized.

Controversies

Payments from Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae

On September 21, 2008, the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' reported that during the period from 2000 to 2002 (while

Franklin Raines Franklin Delano Raines (born January 14, 1949) also known as Frank Raines is an American business executive. He is the former chairman and chief executive officer of the Federal National Mortgage Association, commonly known as Fannie Mae, who ser ...

was the CEO of

), Davis received nearly $2 million from Fannie Mae and

Freddie Mac The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC), commonly known as Freddie Mac, is a publicly traded, government-sponsored enterprise (GSE), headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia.avis Avis is Latin for bird and may refer to: Aviation *Auster Avis, a 1940s four-seat light aircraft developed from the Auster Autocrat (abandoned project) *Avro Avis, a two-seat biplane *Scottish Aeroplane Syndicate Avis, an early aircraft built by ...

brought to the relationship was the closeness to Senator McCain and the possibility that Senator McCain was going to run for president again." McCarson also claims that "while he worked t Fannie Maefrom 2000 to 2002, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac together paid Mr. Davis's firm $35,000 a month.". Three days later, the ''New York Times'' reported that Davis' firm, Davis Manafort, had been paid $15,000 per month by Freddie Mac, for "consulting", from the end of 2005, when Davis stopped being head of the Homeownership Alliance, until August 2008. Payments stopped when Freddie Mac was taken over by the federal government. The ''Times'' said that "Davis took a leave from Davis Manafort for the presidential campaign, but as an equity holder continues to benefit from its income." The McCain campaign responded on September 24 with a statement that Davis had separated from Davis Manafort in 2006, and that "As has been previously reported, Mr. Davis has seen no income from Davis Manafort since 2006. Zero. Mr. Davis has received no salary or compensation since 2006. Mr. Davis has received no profit or partner distributions from that firm on any basis – weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual – since 2006. Again, zero. Neither has Mr. Davis received any equity in the firm based on profits derived since his financial separation from Davis Manafort in 2006." On September 28, ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

'' reported that Davis had joined the campaign in January 2007, not in 2006, and that he specified that his $20,000-a-month salary be paid directly to Davis Manafort. The ''Times'' reported that "No one at Davis Manafort other than Mr. Davis was involved in efforts on Freddie Mac’s behalf, the people familiar with the arrangement said." ''Newsweek'' reported that during the period of the payments, Freddie Mac had no contact with Davis Manafort other than receiving monthly invoices from the firm and paying them. The only thing that Freddie Mac officials could recall Davis doing for the company, the ''Times'' said, was speaking at an October 2006 forum attended by midlevel and senior executives who contributed to Freddie PAC, the company’s political action committee.

Involvement with Oleg Deripaska

In 2005, Davis and his business partner, political consultant Paul J. Manafort, pitched a plan to Russian aluminum magnate

Oleg Deripaska Oleg Vladimirovich Deripaska (russian: Олег Владимирович Дерипаска; born 2 January 1968) is a Russian billionaire and an industrialist. Deripaska enriched himself on previously state-owned assets that were privatized in ...

under which they would influence news coverage, business dealings, and politics in the former Soviet Union, Europe, and the United States "to benefit President Vladimir Putin's government." They eventually signed a $10 million contract that started in 2006, and maintained a business relationship until at least 2009. In January 2006, Davis arranged a meeting between McCain, Senator

Saxby Chambliss Clarence Saxby Chambliss (born November 10, 1943) is an American lawyer and retired politician who was a United States Senator from Georgia from 2003 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a U.S. Representative from ...

, Senator John Sununu, and Deripaska at a private apartment near

Davos, Switzerland , neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Bergün/Bravuogn, Klosters-Serneus, Langwies, S-chanf, Susch , twintowns = } Davos (, ; or ; rm, ; archaic it, Tavate) is an Alpine resort town and a municipality in the Prättigau/Davos R ...

, during the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...

. Deripaska's suspected links to anti-democratic and

organized crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

figures are so controversial that the U.S. government revoked his entry visa in 2006. Later that month, Deripaska wrote to Davis and Manafort to thank them for arranging the meeting. "Thank you so much for setting up everything in Klosters so spectacularly," he wrote. "It was very interesting to meet Senators McCain, Chambliss and Sununu in such an intimate setting." Davis, McCain, and Deripaska dined together with others at a restaurant in

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

in August 2008. Davis had been assisting the ruling party with their successful independence campaign, which was bankrolled by Deripaska, the largest employer in Montenegro. McCain was visiting the country as part of an official Senate trip. After the dinner, a group including Davis and McCain traveled to a nearby yacht on the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

for a party celebrating McCain's 70th birthday.

DHL

In 2003, Davis and his lobbying firm were hired by German logistic company

DHL DHL is an American founded, German logistics company providing courier, package delivery and express mail service, which is a division of the German logistics firm Deutsche Post. The company group delivers over 1.8 billion parcels per year. DHL ...

and

Airborne Express Airborne Express was an express delivery company and cargo airline. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, its hub was in Wilmington, Ohio. Airborne was founded as the Airborne Flower Traffic Association of California in 1946 to fly flowers fr ...

, to lobby Congress to approve a merger between the two firms. DHL Holdings was eventually successful in acquiring Airborne Express. McCain and Davis have come under attack by the AFL-CIO for facilitating the deal, as DHL is now planning to quit using the

Wilmington, Ohio Wilmington is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 12,660 at the 2020 census. At city entrances from state routes, county roads, and U.S. highways, the city slogan of "We Honor Our Champions" is ...

freight airport as a hub. The airport and package-sorting facility in Wilmington was previously owned by Airborne Express. The move by DHL would cost an estimated 8,000 jobs at the Wilmington air park. At the time of the merger, the deal created an estimated 1,000 jobs for the Wilmington area.

Fictional portrayals

Davis was portrayed by

Peter MacNicol Peter MacNicol (born April 10, 1954) is an American actor. He received a Theatre World Award for his 1981 Broadway debut in the play ''Crimes of the Heart''. His film roles include Galen in ''Dragonslayer'' (1981), Stingo in ''Sophie's Choice'' ( ...

in the 2012

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

film ''

Game Change ''Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime'' is a book by political journalists John Heilemann and Mark Halperin about the 2008 United States presidential election. Released on January 11, 2010, it was a ...

''.

References

External links

* Jules Witcover
Interview with Rick Davis
June 25, 2007
The Council on American Politics at GW's Graduate School of Political Management

GW’s Graduate School of Political Management
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Rick 1959 births American campaign managers American lobbyists American chief operating officers College Republicans Living people University of Alabama alumni Virginia Republicans