Council on American Politics

Richard H. Davis
Managing Partner, Davis Manafort

Richard Davis, Managing Partner of Davis Manafort, is a recognized leader in international and national political affairs. He has over 20 years of experience in both foreign and domestic political and public affairs. Most recently, Mr. Davis served Senator John S. McCain as his 2000 presidential campaign's National Campaign Manager. In that capacity, Mr. Davis managed the development of the campaign's strategy and was responsible for the implementation of all aspects of the campaign.

Mr. Davis currently serves as Chairman of Senator McCain's political action committee, Straight Talk America and was recently a Fellow at the Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

In addition to managing Senator McCain's Presidential Campaign, Mr. Davis' involvement in politics includes serving as Deputy Convention Manager for the 1996 National Republican Convention and Deputy Campaign Manager for the 1996 Presidential Campaign of Senator Bob Dole. He started his political activity in 1979 as a staff member of the Republican National Committee; in 1980, as Regional Director of the Commitment '80, Reagan/Bush Campaign; in 1982, as Campaign Manager for Paul Trible's successful Senate campaign; in 1984, as the National Convention Director for the Reagan/Bush Re-Election Campaign and, the 1988 Presidential Debate Coordinator for the Bush/Quayle 1988 Presidential Campaign.

Mr. Davis served on President Reagan's staff from 1985 until March 1987 as a Principal Associate Director in the Office of Cabinet Affairs and Special Assistant to the President. As the Associate Director, his responsibilities included the coordination and development of US domestic policy in the White House

During his tenure at the White House, Mr. Davis was the coordinator of policies and projects which included the President's Catastrophic Illness Bill, the Omnibus Health Bill of 1986, the Privatization of Conrail, the President's Space Commercialization Policy, the Rogers Commission, and the President's Competitiveness Package of 1987.

As the White House Coordinator of Domestic Policy Issues, Mr. Davis was also a member of a number of the interagency working groups including the Special Interagency Working Group on Space, the Health Policy Working Group, the Working Group on Privatization, and the Federalization Working Group.

In addition to his public service, Mr. Davis' extensive experience in policy formulation and implementation includes serving as a member of the transition teams of President Reagan in 1980 and President Bush in 1988. He was the Special Assistant for Policy to the Secretary of Health and Human Services; Special Assistant for the Budget to the Secretary of the Interior; Special Assistant for Trade Development at the International Trade Administration in the US Department of Commerce, and a Consultant to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. In 1990, Mr. Davis served as Consultant to the White House Conference on Science and Economic Research Related to Global Change.

In addition to political campaigns in the United States, Mr. Davis has extensive experience as an international political consultant in Asia and Latin America. Mr. Davis is a board member of the Panama/U.S. Business Council and the American Council of Young Political Leaders. Richard Davis is married to Dr. Karen Davis and has two children, Lauren and Cole. A resident of Virginia, Mr. Davis holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Alabama in Operations Research.

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