Rep. Davis doesn’t back CBC budget

by Walter Alarkon - 04/03/09 5:33 PM ET

Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.) voted “present” Thursday on the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) instead of backing it as he has done in the past.

Davis, a CBC member, voted only for the main Democratic budget that passed and that had less spending for healthcare, education and transportation.

“While Congressman Davis agreed with some of its specific principles, the alternative budget proposed by the Congressional Black Caucus conflicted with his views in too many significant areas to garner his full support,” said Davis’s spokesman, Alex Goepfert.

Davis voted for the CBC plan in 2007 and 2008.

Davis, a close ally of President Obama and a fellow Harvard Law graduate, is running for Alabama governor in 2010. A second candidate for the Democratic nomination, state Agricultural Commissioner Ron Sparks, announced his bid Friday.