Jack Davis (industrialist)

Jack Davis
BornMarch 1, 1933
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US
DiedJanuary 23, 2023 (aged 89) [1]
Buffalo, New York, US
Alma materUniversity of Buffalo (BS)
Occupation(s)Businessman
Politician
Political partyIndependent
Other political
affiliations		Tea Party
Republican (registered)
SpouseBarbara[2]
Children6[3]
WebsiteJack Davis for Congress

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]

Davis's political campaigns were 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 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]

  1. ^ "John R. 'Jack' Davis, 89, industrialist and congressional candidate who gave major gift to UB". January 29, 2023.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Corwin tops was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference about jack was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference fairbanks was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference republicans join was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "John "Jack" R. Davis, Jr". Ross Funeral Home of Akron. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference looking for was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference would caucus was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference who is was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference spurned was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference oyez was invoked but never defined (see the help page).