Philip Davis (Indiana congressional candidate)

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Philip N. Davis

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 7, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Indiana University, 1982

Personal

Birthplace

Beech Grove, Ind.

Religion

Christian: Catholic

Profession

Retired

Contact

Campaign Facebook

Philip N. Davis (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Indiana's 7th Congressional District. He lost in the Republican primary on May 7, 2024.

Davis completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Philip N. Davis was born in Beech Grove, Indiana. Davis earned a bachelor's degree from Indiana University in 1982. As of 2024, Davis was retired but previously worked as a mail carrier and business owner/manager.

Elections

2024

See also: Indiana's 7th Congressional District election, 2024

Indiana's 7th Congressional District election, 2024 (May 7 Democratic primary)

Indiana's 7th Congressional District election, 2024 (May 7 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Indiana District 7

Incumbent André Carson defeated John Schmitz and Rusty Johnson in the general election for U.S. House Indiana District 7 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		André Carson (D)	68.3	185,987
		John Schmitz (R)	29.0	78,792
		Rusty Johnson (L)	2.7	7,369

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 272,148
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 7

Incumbent André Carson defeated Curtis Godfrey and Pierre Quincy Pullins in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Indiana District 7 on May 7, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		André Carson	91.1	30,868
		Curtis Godfrey	5.4	1,845
		Pierre Quincy Pullins	3.5	1,178

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 33,891
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 7

Jennifer Pace defeated Catherine Ping, Philip N. Davis, and Gabriel Whitley in the Republican primary for U.S. House Indiana District 7 on May 7, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jennifer Pace	31.2	7,716
		Catherine Ping	29.9	7,390
		Philip N. Davis	25.7	6,364
		Gabriel Whitley	13.1	3,249

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 24,719
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Indiana District 7

Rusty Johnson advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Indiana District 7 on March 2, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Rusty Johnson (L)

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Davis in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Philip N. Davis completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Davis' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Philip N. (Phil) Davis. I am a husband of 37 years, father of five, grandfather of three, and a sixth-generation Hoosier. I retired from the US Postal Service in 2021. Prior to that I had a career in restaurant management and ownership, with a degree from the Indiana University Kelly School of Business. I am a pro-life, pro-business, pro-2nd Amendment, pro-personal freedom and responsibility conservative who believes the Constitution of the United States is the guideline under which we live. I believe in the Ninth Amendment, that rights not enumerated under the Constitution are reserved for the people, i.e. the states.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Legal immigration good, illegal immigration bad. Simple.
• The economy is a mess because of government interference and regulation. Our current state of affairs is stifling young people from moving ahead and making it hard for old people to keep their heads above water.
• Our current tax system is regressive and punitive. Property tax and income tax are immoral. We should look toward replacing our tax system with a federal sales tax, exempting necessities such as food and clothing. People who don't typically contribute to the tax base through incomes taxes, such as drug dealers and those who get paid under the table, would now be paying into the system.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Immigration and taxes. Legal immigration should be quicker and easier for those well-vetted, illegal immigration should be eliminated as much as possible. Property and income taxes should be eliminated. A national sales tax exempting food and clothing would be something to look at as a replacement.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My parents were my role models as a person, our Founding Fathers politically.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Federalist Papers

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honest, integrity, accountability and transparency.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am consistent with my beliefs. I don't really care what people think about me other than my grandkids. I can listen to both sides of the aisle and separate the politics from the personal. If I can't do something I will look for someone who can.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To represent the needs of the citizens you serve first and foremost, within the bigger idea of representing the 342 million people living in this country.

What legacy would you like to leave?

My legacy is my family. If I raised good kids, I did my duty for society. If elected, I would hope my legacy would be "He served the people who hired him."

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Probably the first moon landing. I would've been 8.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Not counting paper routes, Edward's Drive-in. I was underage but my brothers had worked there so I was hired to pick up trash in the parking lot for 75 cents an hour cash, paid for out of a tackle box.

What is your favorite book? Why?

I read a book called the Pushcart War when I was young. It's about a fictional war between trucking companies and pushcart owners in New York city. I think that was my first taste of business and capitalism. I've passed that book on to my grandkids.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

I would love to be a rock star or a baseball player. Not any particular fictional one.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Anything Pink Floyd.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I struggle with whether I could have done more personally, professionally, etc. I think most people want to leave a bigger impact, but they often don't realize how much of an impact they've had.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

All spending is to originate with the House. All money spent comes from the people. As with your own home, wise spending is the basis for a secure foundation and future.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Not necessarily. I would rather someone have business experience, so they have signed both sides of a check and understand what that means.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Current attitudes in government are leading to laws and regulations that stifle innovation and advancement while making it harder for young people to move ahead and older people to keep their heads above water. We need to return to a nation that puts its people, not its government first.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Two years means members are basically campaigning for half their term if they seek reelection. I think four-year terms with a three-term limit would be better.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Elections should be term limits, but unfortunately, they're not. Elected government is public service, not a career. I would propose changing House terms to four years and limiting the House to three terms and the Senate to two.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Our Founding Fathers are the only politicians I "look up to."

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I ran for office locally last year. I was told constantly how people didn't know what was going on and felt they were either ignored or flat out lied to. That's what prompted me to run for this position.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Right now, I'm into bad Dad jokes.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

I would not compromise my morals, nor would I compromise the needs of the people I serve. I would certainly consider give and take that benefits both sides.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

All money spent by the government is taken from the people. I never forget that.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

I'm not sure how to answer that question other than to say they should not be subpoenaing and investigating private citizens, especially as a tool for political purposes. We see way too much of that today. They should also not conduct unending investigations, for instance with social media, where they bring people in to testify over and over but never do anything with what they learn.

What committees interest you?

If asked, I would serve where needed. I assume my business background would be taken into consideration.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

The government serves the people, period. All money the government spends comes from those it serves. A record of every penny a government spends should be relatively easy to access. All bills, especially spending bills, should be single item. No more pork hidden on page 2000. Budgeting should be zero-based, which would require all expenditures to be justified and approved annually. A balanced budget amendment should be proposed and voted on by the people.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Philip N. Davis campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	U.S. House Indiana District 7	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$0	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also

2024 Elections

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External links

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Candidate

U.S. House Indiana District 7

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Footnotes

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Indiana's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Jim Banks (R)

Todd Young (R)

Representatives

District 1

Frank Mrvan (D)

District 2

Rudy Yakym (R)

District 3

Marlin Stutzman (R)

District 4

Jim Baird (R)

District 5

Victoria Spartz (R)

District 6

Jefferson Shreve (R)

District 7

André Carson (D)

District 8

Mark Messmer (R)

District 9

Erin Houchin (R)

Republican Party (9)

Democratic Party (2)