Free At Last

Congressman Artur Davis spoke to the Heritage Foundation’s Bloggers Briefing on why he has “shifted camps” from the Democratic Party and has now joined the Republican Party.

“Yes it is a little bit unusual for someone who used to be a democratic elected official to switch parties. Yes it is unusual for, frankly, for an African-American Democratic official to switch political camps … Artur Davis is not the only person who was in the Obama camp in 2008 that has done a political migration… 10 million Americans or so have shifted camps,” Davis said.

Davis, a former representative from Alabama’s seventh congressional district, was one of the first supporters to endorse Obama for president for the 2008 presidential election.

In December of 2010 Davis moved from Alabama to Virginia and on May 29, 2012 on his official blog he declared the switch.

“If I were to run, it would be as a Republican,” Davis said on his blog. “And I am in the process of changing my voter registration from Alabama to Virginia, a development which likely does represent a closing of one chapter and perhaps the opening of another.”

According to Davis, the president has not kept his promises and the country has seen a negative ascension from when Obama took office.

“The more the other side keeps making its arguments, the more people are beginning to move our way, I firmly believe that,” Davis said. “And they may not be moving our way on the wings of remarkable poetry but on the wings of their common sense.”

Davis appealed to the Heritage audience by comparing the importance of Reagan’s election to the upcoming election – not suggesting that Romney is like Reagan, but that the election has the importance that Reagan’s had.

“Boldness matters in politics. Boldness is rewarded in politics. Clarity is rewarded in politics Governor Walker can tell you that in Wisconsin, Governor Christy can tell you that in New Jersey. Clarity is rewarded in politics,” Davis said.

Kate Powley is an intern at the American Journalism Center, a training program run by Accuracy in Media and Accuracy in Academia.

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