Jack Davis (industrialist)
John Davis (March 1, 1933 – January 23, 2023) was an American industrialist and perennial candidate from Newstead, New York.[4] Davis ran four times for New York's 26th congressional district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives between 2004 and 2011, three times as a Democrat (twice as the general election candidate against incumbent Tom Reynolds and a third time in a three-way primary) and once as an independent.[5][6]
Jack Davis
March 1, 1933
January 23, 2023 (aged 89) [1]
Businessman
Politician
Tea Party
Republican (registered)
Barbara[2]
6[3]
Davis's political campaigns are primarily motivated by his concern that the country is being destroyed by U.S. free trade policies, which he says have led to the outsourcing of jobs to foreign countries and the decline of manufacturing in the United States.[3][7] Noted for his party-switching, Davis has said that had he won the 2011 election, he would have caucused in the House with the Republican and Tea Party caucuses.[8]
A lifelong Republican, Davis switched to the Democrats after being kicked out of a fundraiser headlined by Dick Cheney in 2003 when he tried to ask Cheney questions about free trade policies.[9] He then ran for the U.S. Congress seat in his home district, NY-26, in 2004, 2006 and 2008 as a self-funded candidate, pouring in millions of his own funds and coming close to beating the incumbent Republican Thomas Reynolds in 2006. In the 2008 election, however, he came in third out of three in the Democratic primary.[9] He switched his affiliation back to Republican with the election of fellow wealthy industrialist Chris Lee, becoming an ally and supporter of Lee.[7] After Lee's abrupt departure from Congress in February 2011, Davis tried and failed to get the Republican nomination to replace Lee and decided to run as an independent on a newly created Tea Party line.[10][7]
Davis was the owner of I Squared R Element Company, a silicon carbide heating elements company that he founded in 1964.[9] He is also known for filing a successful lawsuit against the Federal Election Commission in 2006, claiming that the so-called "millionaire's amendment" to McCain-Feingold Act was unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court, with Justice Alito writing for the 5–4 majority, sided with Davis, striking down the millionaire's amendment as violating the First Amendment to the United States Constitution for fundamentally restricting the right of a self-financing candidate to spend his or her own money in a preferred way.[11]
Early years and education and business career[edit]
Davis grew up in Western, New York and attended Amherst Central High School.[12] In 1955, Davis graduated from the University of Buffalo with a bachelor's degree in engineering.[12] Davis would later fund the construction of UB's Davis Hall, which was named after him.[13] Following graduation, Davis served in the Marine Corps and in the U.S. Coast Guard as a lieutenant.[12]
He began work as an engineer in 1958, first at General Motors as a maintenance engineer, then at The Carborundum Company as a supervising sales engineer.
In 1964, Davis started his silicon carbide heating element manufacturing business, I Squared R Element, out of his garage[12] and now employs 75 people in Akron, New York.[3][14] He has touted the fact that he has never outsourced any jobs.[3] According to 2011 financial disclosure statements, Davis' net worth was between $18.2 million and $83.4 million (about half that of his opponent Jane Corwin).[2]
Party affiliations[edit]
Davis was a self-described "Goldwater Republican" for 50 years. In late 2003, he attended a Republican fundraiser in Buffalo, featuring Vice President Dick Cheney. Davis insisted on talking to Cheney about U.S. free trade policies, which Cheney's staff refused to allow, ordering Davis to be ejected from the fundraiser.[8] Davis then quit the Republican party.[8] He later became a Democrat (2003), then founded the Save Jobs Party (2004–05), then rejoined the Republican Party (2008), and in March 2011 created the Tea Party ballot line by obtaining the required number of signatures.