Rodney Davis (politician)
Rodney L. Davis | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 13th district | |
Assumed office January 3, 2013 | |
Preceded by | Tim Johnson |
Personal details | |
Born | Rodney Lee Davis January 5, 1970 Des Moines, Iowa |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Shannon Davis |
Residence | Taylorville, Illinois |
Alma mater | Millikin University |
Occupation | Politician |
Website | rodneydavis.house.gov |
Rodney Lee Davis (born January 5, 1970)[2] is an American member of Congress who has been the United States Representative for Illinois's 13th congressional district since 2013. He is a member of the Republican Party. Davis is running for re-election in 2014, having won the Republican nomination.[3]
Early life and education
Davis was born in Des Moines and is a lifelong resident of Taylorville, Illinois where he attended public school. Before attending college, he worked at a McDonald's that his parents operated.[4] He graduated with honors from Millikin University in 1992 with a degree in political science.
Early political career
After graduating from college, Davis worked for then-Secretary of State George Ryan. In 1996, he lost a race for the state legislature. In 1998, Davis managed the first re-election campaign for Illinois Congressman John Shimkus. Following the successful campaign, Davis accepted a position on Shimkus' congressional staff. In 2000, Davis lost his second campaign, this time for mayor of his hometown, Taylorville. Davis served as Shimkus' Projects Director while simultaneously running for Congress.[5]
U.S House of Representatives
Elections
- 2012
On May 19, 2012, the Republican County Chairmen for the 14 Illinois counties comprising the 13th district nominated Davis to replace Illinois Representative Tim Johnson, who had announced in April that he would not seek re-election. In addition to Davis, other finalists for the nomination were Jerry Clarke, chief of staff to fellow U.S. Representative Randy Hultgren and Johnson's former chief of staff; Erika Harold, a lawyer and winner of Miss America in 2003; and Kathy Wassink, a businesswoman.[5] Davis was reportedly coaching his sons' little league baseball game when he was informed that he had been nominated.[6]
Davis narrowly defeated David M. Gill in the general election by a margin of 1,002 votes (0.3%).[7]
- 2014
On June 13, 2013, former Miss America Erika Harold announced she would run against Davis in the 2014 Republican primary.[8] The primary took place on March 18, 2014. The Republican field included Davis, Harold, and Michael Firsching.[citation needed] Davis won the primary. He will face Democrat Ann Callis in the general election on November 4, 2014.[3]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Rodney L. Davis | 27,816 | 54.63 | |
Republican | Erika Harold | 20,951 | 41.15 | |
Republican | Michael Firsching | 2,147 | 4.22 | |
Total votes | 50,914 | 100 |
Committee assignments
Legislation
Davis introduced the Hire More Heroes Act of 2013 into the House on November 13, 2013. The bill would allow employers to exclude veterans receiving health insurance from the United States Department of Defense or the United States Department of Veterans' Affairs from their list of employees.[10][11] This would have the effect of keeping their list of employees shorter, allowing some small businesses to fall underneath the 50 full-time employees line that would require them to provide their employees with healthcare under the requirements of the Affordable Care Act.[11][12] Davis said that the bill "gives our small businesses another incentive to hire veterans, which helps to address the increasing number of unemployed veterans, while providing them with some relief from ObamaCare."[12]
Political positions
Davis voted to shutdown the government in 2013.[13]
Davis voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act,[14] and voted to re-authorize the Violence Against Women Act.[15]
Davis considers himself pro-life, opposes public abortion funding, and is against religious institutions being required to offer health plans that include coverage for birth control.[16]
Davis supported the March 2013 budget that was proposed by Paul Ryan.[17]
Davis cosponsored the REINS Act (H.R. 367), a piece of legislation that would hold executive agencies responsible for costly regulations.[citation needed]
Davis is a proponent of building the Keystone XL Pipeline and increasing the production of coal and other natural resources.[18]
Davis supports the re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB).[19]
Personal life
Davis married his high school sweetheart, Shannon, in 1995, and the couple currently lives in Taylorville, Illinois.[20] They have three children.[5] Davis also holds various positions throughout his community. Davis serves on the Board of Education for St. Mary's Church, where he also serves as Athletic Director.[21] He coaches Taylorville Junior Football, is a member of the Taylorville Optimist Club, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Christian County Senior Center.[2]
References
- ^ Rep. Rodney L. Davis. "Roll Call".
- ^ a b "Rodney Davis' Biography". Project Vote Smart.
- ^ a b Cahn, Emily (2014-03-18). "Ann Callis, Rodney Davis to Face Off in Targeted Illinois District". Roll Call. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
- ^ "Illinois, 13th House District". National Journal.
- ^ a b c Petty, Allison (May 19, 2012). "GOP picks Rodney Davis to face Gill". Bloomington Pantagraph.
- ^ "GOP chooses Davis for US Rep. Tim Johnson's seat". Associated Press. May 19, 2012.
- ^ "Ballots Cast". Illinois State Board of Election.
- ^ Last, Jonathan V. "Miss America vs. Mr. Incumbant". The Weekly Standard.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
illprimary
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "H.R. 3474 - Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ a b Hultgren, Randy (13 January 2014). "Let's Give Jobs to Veterans: Hultgren Supports Hire More Heroes Act". Osqego Patch. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ a b Kasperowicz, Pete (10 March 2014). "GOP eyes Dem help on ObamaCare". The Hill. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ "FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 504". Retrieved 19 October 2014.
- ^ Mike Fitzgerald (December 3, 2013). "Health care glitches put twist on local congressional races". BND.com.
- ^ Bill Lambrecht (May 20, 2013). "In Illinois, Davis preparing for marathon race for Congress". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- ^ "Rodney Davis on Abortion". Ontheissues.org. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
- ^ [1][dead link ]
- ^ [2][dead link ]
- ^ [3][dead link ]
- ^ "Electrodney.com".
- ^ "St. Mary School". St. Mary's Church.
External links
- Congressman Rodney Davis official U.S. House website
- Rodney Davis for Congress
- Template:DMOZ
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Rodney Davis at Ballotpedia
- "United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2014". Ballotpedia.
- 1970 births
- Living people
- Illinois Republicans
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois
- United States congressional aides
- Millikin University alumni
- People from Des Moines, Iowa
- People from Christian County, Illinois
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives