Rep. Lincoln Davis (D)

The congressman from the 4th District is Lincoln Davis, a Democrat elected in 2002. Davis grew up in Fentress County on his family farm, which was purchased from World War I hero Sgt. Alvin York, a 1920s and 1930s celebrity who was played by Gary Cooper in the 1941 movie Sergeant York. Davis started his own construction company, which builds homes and businesses, and develops land. He also has been a soil scientist, and farms cattle and tobacco. He began his political career in 1978 as the mayor of Byrdstown near the Kentucky border and was elected to the state House in 1980. In 1984, when Al Gore left the U.S. House to run for the Senate, Davis ran unsuccessfully for his House seat. In 2002, when Republican Rep. Van Hilleary ran for governor, Davis was the early favorite to replace him. He won support in the Democratic primary from national and local party leaders, organized labor, anti-abortion groups, and the National Rifle Association. But he had a difficult time against Democratic newcomer Fran Marcum, a wealthy businesswoman with backing from the women’s fundraising group EMILY’s List. She also spent $1.6 million of her own money. Her ads depicted Davis as a political retread, and tied him to the Legislature’s unpopular handling of budget problems. But Davis won, 57%-43%.

In the general election, Janice Bowling, a Tullahoma alderwoman and self-described “pistol-packing Mama,” attempted to seize on Gore’s endorsement of Davis in the primary by asking voters to vote against Gore one more time. She campaigned in a white chenille dress, red boots and an American flag scarf. She was significantly outspent by Davis, who vowed not to let any opponent “out-gun me, out-pray me, or out-family me.” In the words of The Tennessean newspaper, Davis combined a “folksy, slap-on-the-back attitude with the oratorical punch of a revival preacher.” He won 52%-46%.

In the House, Davis fits near the center of the Democratic Caucus. He is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition of fiscally conservative Democrats and keeps his distance from most national Democrats, especially on cultural issues. He worked with other Democrats to promote their interest in “faith-based” issues when President Bush popularized the notion of religious organizations getting government support in his first term. When Republicans forced a vote on a gay-marriage ban, he sarcastically suggested that they also include bans on divorce and adultery to highlight the partisan debate.

After the 2008 election, he secured a coveted seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee. Before that, he focused on his work on the Financial Services Committee, where in 2007 he sponsored a bill to protect low-income renters whose homes had been sold or redeveloped. On energy issues in recent years, he has favored offshore drilling but says he doesn’t believe it will solve all of the nation’s energy problems. On foreign policy, Davis initially supported President George W. Bush on the war in Iraq but later supported withdrawing troops from the region and transitioning to a support mission.

In 2004, Bowling ran again but again received little party support. Davis emphasized his independence, and with endorsements from the Chamber of Commerce, National Right to Life and the NRA, he increased his victory margin to 55%-44%. In 2008, Davis was challenged by medical equipment company owner Monty Lankford. Lankford raised $529,000, though Davis passed him with $1 million, and tried unsuccessfully to tie Davis to national Democrats and their presidential nominee, Barack Obama. Even as McCain carried every county in the district, Lincoln won 59%-38%.