August 19, 2012

Davis, who served as the Democratic congressman for Alabama’s 7th District from 2003-2011, was, four years ago, on an upward trajectory. As an up-and-coming political power player, he was onstage at the 2008 Democratic National Convention and was the one to second then-Sen. Obama’s nomination for president.

Since then, he has left the Democratic party, joined the GOP, announced his support for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and serves as one of President Obama’s prominent African-American critics.

Davis’ defection from his longtime party came after a disastrous run for Alabama’s governorship in early 2011. After his loss to a more liberal candidate, he moved to Virginia and dropped out of sight. Then in May of this year, Davis announced his plans to switch political allegiance. The change was not much of a surprise—Davis was often out of step with his Democratic colleagues; he was the only member of the Congressional Black Caucus to vote against the Affordable Care Act and the 2007 Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

"At the end of the day, being in the Republican Party feels like a more comfortable ideological home for me," Davis told The Root in an interview published on June 6.

And in a May 29 post on his blog, Davis said he would consider re-entering politics—under a different banner.

He wrote, “If I were to leave the sidelines, it would be as a member of the Republican Party…wearing a Democratic label no longer matches what I know about my country and its possibilities."