Lincoln Davis

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
• Committee on Science and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Environment
  • Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight

• Caucus to Control Methamphetamine
• Congressional Rural Caucus
• Blue Dog Coalition

Davis is a moderate Democrat by Tennessee standards, but a conservative Democrat by national ones. Davis made headlines for his opposition to the Federal Marriage Amendment. He is also known for his opposition to bailing out Wall Street and cap-and-trade legislation. Davis spent time focusing on funding abandoned coal mines in Tennessee. He has supported efforts to fund long-term care for senior citizens and has advocated new domestic violence legislation.

He opposes abortion and gun control, stances typical of most Democrats from rural areas of the state. During his first run for Congress, he vowed not to allow his Republican opponents to "outgun me, outpray me or outfamily me."[8] In April 2009, Davis voted against the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.[9]

Midway through his second term in the State Senate, in 2002, Davis ran for the Democratic nomination in the 4th District when four-term Republican incumbent Van Hilleary gave up the seat to make what would ultimately be an unsuccessful run for governor. This time, he narrowly won the primary against a self-funding opponent, Fran Marcum of Tullahoma, who spent nearly $2 million in the race.[10] He went on to win a hard-fought battle in the general election, narrowly defeating Republican Tullahoma Alderman Janice Bowling, 52%-47%; Bowling was Hilleary's district director.[11]

Davis was reelected in a 2004 rematch against Bowling with slightly less difficulty, 55%-44%.

Davis faced nominal opposition in 2006. Although the 4th was not considered safe for either major party, its size (it stretches across two time zones and five television markets) made it very difficult to unseat an incumbent.[12]

Davis defeated Republican Kenneth Martin, 67.5%-32.5%.

Davis did not make an endorsement of the candidate in advance of the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Hillary Clinton won the primary in his district by a significant margin,[13] and John McCain outran Barack Obama there by 29 percentage points.[14]

In the November 2008 general election, Davis defeated Republican candidate Monty Lankford, a hospital equipment company owner.[14] Afterwards Davis was appointed to the House Appropriations Committee and the Energy & Water Subcommittee.[15]

Davis was considered a possible candidate for Governor of Tennessee in 2010.[16] However, he announced that he had decided not to seek that office in January 2009, and instead ran for reelection to his House seat.[17]

In the 2010 congressional race, Davis was challenged by Republican Scott DesJarlais. Also on the ballot were independents Paul H. Curtis, James Gray, Richard S. Johnson, and Gerald York. DesJarlais won 57.1% of the vote to Davis's 38.6%--the third-largest margin of defeat for a Democratic incumbent in the 2010 cycle, the first time an incumbent had been unseated since the district's creation in 1983, and the first time since 1974 that an incumbent congressman in Tennessee lost a general election.