By Bill Britt
Alabama Political Reporter
MONTGOMERY—Former US Congressman, Artur Davis is putting down roots in Montgomery after his defeat in the recent mayoral race.
Davis says, far from being discharged over his defeat, he sees encouraging signs for the future. “It might genuinely surprise some people that I am encouraged by a lot of things I saw in the election returns: I was gratified to see the support from African American voters in precincts all over the city. I also feel that in this race, I found my political voice again, as a champion of people who don’t have a voice and who don’t see government serve their interests.”
Davis confessed he had drifted away from championing for those who are under represented in society, and that this campaign, “remind me of why I entered politics as a young man 16 years ago.”
He says he has received many calls encouraging him to run again, but also pleading with him to “make a stand not four years from now, but in the very near future.”
“After the [2010] governor’s race, I found that candidly, I had made no new friends and had lost a lot of old ones. This time feels different,” said Davis. “There are so many after this race who are saying to me that Montgomery needs a strong voice at the local level for a different direction in its priorities and who are urging me to find a way to play that role now, not just in the next campaign.”
Davis said he and his wife are looking for full-time work in the Montgomery community, and says, “We are also house hunting.”
His critics have accused Davis of being a carpetbagger, even though he was raised in Montgomery.
Critics also point to his defection from the Democrat party, as another reason for his poor showing in the mayoral election.
“I have been asked about whether this race has affected my own views about parties and politics. I will say this much: there is a section of this community that felt as recently as a year ago that I had broken faith with them and that I had left their interests behind. In this campaign, so many of that same group of voters decided to listen to me and to give me a chance to lead them,” said Davis. “Yes, I feel I owe those voters my allegiance to them going forward. I do not take lightly the chance they tried to take on me and I will honor that faith by standing with them.”
Davis says it has been suggested that he take time off from politics, to which he responded by saying, “I just did that for five years. I’ve gotten my “time out” already. I appreciated the chance this race gave me to reengage with my home and the reasons that brought me into politics and it seems wrong to stop now.”
Davis says he will announce his future plans before the fall is over.
