DPVA: “Tom Davis is no John Warner”

Following Senator John Warner’s announcement that he will not be seeking another term in the US Senate, there has been a lot of analysts who argue that the race for the Republican nomination will be a battle between a conservative and moderate candidate — former Governor Jim Gilmore (conservative) and Rep. Tom Davis (moderate). The only problem with this analysis, however, is the plain and simple fact that Tom Davis has voted in support of President Bush almost 90% of the time and is no moderate.

In an attempt to ensure that Tom Davis isn’t able to mislead the voters into thinking he’s actually a moderate, the Democratic Party of Virginia issued a statement with the subject line “Tom Davis is no John Warner.” After praising Sen. Warner for working across party lines in order to pass legislation that is the best interest of his constituents, the DPVA continues to point out how Rep. Davis continuously “chose to tow the party line and vote in lock-step with Washington Republicans.”

A great example of Davis’s partisan tactics was provided by comparing how the two lawmakers voted in regards to raising the minimum wage.

Senator Warner Supports Raising the Minimum Wage. Sen. John Warner voted for the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, which will give Virginia workers a $2.10 pay raise over the next two years. (Vote 42, H.R.2, 2/1/07; Vote 181, H.R. 2206, 5/24/07)

Representative Davis Rejects a Raise for Hardworking Virginians. Tom Davis voted against raising the minimum wage. (Vote 18, H.R. 2, 1/10/07; Vote 424, H.R. 2206, 5/24/07)

Now it should also be noted that not only did Davis decide to vote against providing a fair minimum wage, but he has also voted on several different occasions to give Congress (and, as a result, himself) a pay raise. In other words, he often felt he needed more money, but voted against giving a fair wage to hard working families who are just barely (if at all) covering the bills. That doesn’t seem like the type of votes a person would cast if they were truly a moderate looking out for the best interests of his/her constituents.