By: Amanda Anderson
Representative Artur Davis has his eyes set upon becoming the first African American governor of the state of Alabama. He has already had an impressive career as a four term congressman in Alabama’s 7th congressional district. Although he is a member of the Democratic party and an ally of President Obama, he has chosen to distance himself from Obama’s controversial health care bill in hopes to clench the Democratic nomination for governorship in Alabama.
Davis joined 33 other Democrats in opposing Obama’s health care bill on Tuesday. Originally, Davis voted against the House version of the bill in November. The Democratic party did not feel an urge to persuade Davis into changing his political stance on health care, and one can imagine that they have no desire to jeopardize his chances for governorship in a red state where most citizens are not in support of the bill.
Although the party may understand his choice, his refusal to vote for the bill is not without its criticism. Most argue that the people in his district are in dire need of health care reform. In Alabama, 19% of the population is currently without health insurance. This percentage is much higher than the national rate.