Summary
Current Position: State Delegate of District 35 since 2018
Affiliation: Democrat
Candidate: 2022 Lt. Governor
Austin Davis (born October 4, 1989) is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 35th District.
He is the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania in the 2022 election, running on a ticket with Josh Shapiro.
OnAir Post: Austin Davis
About
Source: Campaign page
Rep. Austin Davis took the oath of office to serve the people of the Mon Valley on February 5, 2018. When he was sworn in, Davis became the first African American to serve as state representative for the 35th Legislative District in Allegheny County.
Currently, Davis is serving as chair of the Allegheny County Delegation and vice chair of the House Democratic Policy Committee, as well as serving on the House Appropriations Committee, House Consumer Affairs Committee, House Insurance Committee and House Transportation Committee. Davis is also a member of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, Climate Caucus and PA SAFE Caucus.
Davis is a fighter for economic equality, lifting people out of poverty and fair funding for education, and is committed to bettering the lives of people in the Mon Valley.
A lifelong resident of McKeesport, Davis knew from an early age he wanted to dedicate his life and career to public service. In high school, he founded and served as chairman of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council under McKeesport Mayor Jim Brewster. Davis studied political science at the University of Pittsburgh and was a legislative intern at the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. By the age of 21, the Tribune-Review called him “a veteran at the politics of helping others.”
In 2012, Davis served as an executive assistant to Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, spearheading the office’s vision/transition teams in the early days of the administration and serving as Fitzgerald’s representative on the Jail Oversight Board; the Kane Foundation; the Minority, Women, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Advisory Board; and the Shuman Detention Center Advisory Board.
Davis has held a variety of positions over the years, including:
United States delegate to the One Young World Summit in Bangkok, Thailand in 2015.
Delegate to the 2016 and 2020 Democratic National Conventions.
Board member of the Port Authority of Allegheny County, YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, Communities in Schools of Pittsburgh and Auberle.
Davis has received several awards for his work in government and within the community, including Pittsburgh Magazine’s 40 under 40, the Josh Gibson Foundation Civil Service award, the McKeesport NAACP Character Leadership Award, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Gentleman of Excellence in Government Award, University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg’s 2019 Alumnus of Distinction, and the H. John Heinz III Award for Community Service.
Davis currently resides in McKeesport with his wife, Blayre Holmes Davis.
Web
Government Page, Twitter, Facebook, Wikipedia
Politics
Source: none
Wikipedia
Austin Davis (born October 4, 1989) is an American politician who is the 35th lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, since 2023. Prior to that, he served as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 35th district from 2018 to 2022. He is both the first African American lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania and the youngest person to be elected lieutenant governor in the United States.
Early life and education
Davis was born October 4, 1989, in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. He attended McKeesport Area High School, where he founded and served as chairman of the Mayor's Youth Advisory Council under then McKeesport, Pennsylvania mayor James Brewster.[1]
After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, where he earned a BA in political science in 2012.[2][3]
Career
While in college, Austin was hired as a legislative intern by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. In a February 2011 article on Black History Month, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review highlighted him as "a veteran at the politics of helping others."[4]
Davis previously served as executive assistant to Allegheny County executive Rich Fitzgerald. In 2014, Davis became the youngest and the first black vice chair at the Allegheny County Democratic Committee.[5]
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Davis ran for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the 35th district in a 2018 special election.[6][7] Davis defeated Republican candidate Fawn Walker-Montgomery with over 73% of the vote and became the first African American to serve as State Representative for the district.[8]
Committee assignments
(2021–2022)
Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania
Election
On December 14, 2021, it was reported that Davis would enter the 2022 race for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, after being selected by presumptive Democratic gubernatorial nominee Josh Shapiro to be his running mate.[10] Pennsylvania law requires that a lieutenant gubernatorial candidate must run independent of the gubernatorial candidate in the primary.
On November 8, 2022, Shapiro and Davis handily defeated the Republican ticket of Doug Mastriano and Carrie DelRosso in the general election.[11] Davis became the first African American to be elected lieutenant governor and the first millennial to win statewide office in Pennsylvania.[12]
Tenure
Upon his swearing in at age 33, Davis became the youngest lieutenant governor in Pennsylvania history.[13] He is also the youngest current lieutenant governor in the United States.[14]
Personal life
Davis met his wife, Blayre Holmes, at the August Wilson Center in 2012. The two were married on September 1, 2017. They live in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.[15] The couple had their first child, a daughter Harper, in September of 2023.[16]
Davis has served on the board of directors of the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh,[17] The Consortium for Public Education, Communities in Schools of Pittsburgh,[18] Auberle, Adonai Center for Black Males, Small Seeds Development, and the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh Charter School.[5]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Austin Davis | 3,209 | 73.69 | |
| Republican | Fawn Walker-Montgomery | 1,129 | 25.92 | |
| Write-in | 17 | 0.39 | ||
| Total votes | 4,355 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Austin Davis | 15,165 | 96.73 | |
| Write-in | 513 | 3.27 | ||
| Total votes | 15,678 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Austin Davis (incumbent) | 21,327 | 92.52 | |
| Write-in | 1,725 | 7.48 | ||
| Total votes | 23,052 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Austin Davis | 768,141 | 63.00 | |
| Democratic | Brian Sims | 305,959 | 25.09 | |
| Democratic | Raymond L. Sosa | 145,228 | 11.91 | |
| Total votes | 1,219,328 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Austin Davis | 15,241 | 65.90 | |
| Republican | Don Nevills | 7,817 | 33.80 | |
| Write-in | 71 | 0.31 | ||
| Total votes | 23,129 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |
| 3,031,137 | 56.49 | |
| Republican | 2,238,477 | 41.71 | ||
| Libertarian |
| 51,611 | 0.96 | |
| Green |
| 24,436 | 0.46 | |
| Keystone |
| 20,518 | 0.38 | |
| Total votes | 5,366,179 | 100.00 | ||
See also
References
- ^ Bowling, Brian (September 27, 2007). "East Young Achiever: Austin Davis". TribLIVE.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- ^ "Past Alumnus of Distinction Awardees". Alumnus of Distinction Award. Greensburg, PA: University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
- ^ "Member Biography, Austin Davis". Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania House of Representatives. 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
- ^ DiVittorio, Michael (February 7, 2011). "BLACK HISTORY MONTH: At 21, Davis is a veteran at the politics of helping others". TribLIVE.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- ^ a b Daniels, Melissa (November 26, 2014). "Davis becomes 1st African-American to be named vice chair of Allegheny County Democratic Committee". TribLIVE.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- ^ "Democrat wins special election for state House seat in Western Pa". York Daily Record. January 23, 2018. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- ^ "Democrat Davis wins Pa. House's 35th District to fill Gergely's seat". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 23, 2018. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- ^ "January 23, 2018 Special Election Results". Allegheny County. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Representative Austin A. Davis". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ Caruso, Stephen (December 14, 2021). "W.Pa. Rep. Austin Davis to enter Pa. Lt. Gov race with Dem Josh Shapiro's backing". Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- ^ "Democrat Josh Shapiro defeats Republican Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania governor's race". NBC News. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ "Meet the history-makers of the 2022 midterm elections | CNN Politics". CNN. November 9, 2022.
- ^ "Who is the new Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania?". January 17, 2023.
- ^ Urie, Daniel (May 6, 2023). "Pa. lieutenant governor announces wife's pregnancy". PennLive Patriot-News. Advance Local Media LLC. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ "Lt. Governor Austin Davis | Lt Governor | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania". www.pa.gov. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Kayleigh (September 4, 2023). "Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and wife Blayre welcome baby girl to the world". WPMT-TV. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ "Meet Pittsburgh YMCA Leadership and Staff". www.pittsburghymca.org. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- ^ "Board - Communities in Schools of Pittsburgh - Allegheny County". cispac.org. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
- ^ "REPRESENTATIVE IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 35TH DISTRICT". Allegheny County, PA January 23, 2018 Special Election. www.scytl.com. March 5, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ "REPRESENTATIVE IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 35TH DISTRICT". Allegheny County, PA November 6, 2018 General Election. www.scytl.com. November 26, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ "REPRESENTATIVE IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 35TH DISTRICT". Allegheny County, PA November 3, 2020 General Election. scytl.us. November 25, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ "2022 General Primary Tuesday, May 17, 2022 Official Returns Statewide". electionreturns.pa.gov. Pennsylvania Department of State. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ "REPRESENTATIVE IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 35". Allegheny County, PA November 8, 2022 General Election. scytl.us. December 12, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ "2022 General Election". Pennsylvania Elections - Summary Results. Pennsylvania Department of State. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
External links
- Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis Archived November 9, 2022, at the Wayback Machine official government website
- Austin Davis for Lieutenant Governor campaign website
- Appearances on C-SPAN
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