Geoff Davis Geoffrey C . " Geoff " Davis ( born October 26 , 1958 ) is a former U . S . Representative for , serving from 2005 to 2012 . He is a member of the Republican Party . The district includes 24 counties in the northeastern part of the state , stretching from the fringes of the Louisville area to the West Virginia border . Most of its vote , however , is cast in the counties bordering Cincinnati . On December 15 , 2011 , Davis announced he would not seek reelection in 2012 . On July 31 , 2012 , he announced his resignation from Congress effective immediately . Early life , education , and business career . Davis was born in Montreal , Canada to American parents ( one of few House members to be born in Quebec ) . After graduating from high school , he enlisted in the United States Army and later received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point . At West Point , Davis studied national security and international affairs , as well as the Arabic language . In the U . S . Army he served as an aviation officer , eventually becoming an Assault Helicopter Flight Commander in the 82nd Airborne Division . Davis also ran U . S . Army aviation operations for peace enforcement between Israel and Egypt . During his U . S . Army career , he attained both Senior Parachutist and Ranger qualification . Before running for the U . S . House of Representatives , he owned a consulting firm specializing in lean manufacturing and systems integration . U . S . House of Representatives . Elections . 2002 . In the 2002 elections , Davis challenged Ken Lucas , the Democratic incumbent but was narrowly defeated 51 % - 48 % . 2004 . Lucas declined to run for re - election , honoring a promise to serve only three terms . In the 2004 race for the open seat , Davis defeated his Democratic opponent Nick Clooney , father of actor George Clooney , 54 % - 44 % . 2006 . On January 30 , 2006 , Lucas announced he would challenge Davis later that year . The announcement instantly turned the race into one of the hottest in the campaign cycle , even though the 4th is considered the most Republican district in Kentucky . Despite a substantial Democratic advantage in voter registration , the influence of the heavily Republican Cincinnati suburbs kept the district in Republican hands from 1967 until Lucas won the seat in 1998 . In August Congressional Quarterly rated this race as " Lean Republican . " In late July the Washington Post also rated the race as a toss - up . A SurveyUSA poll released on July 25 , 2006 showed Lucas leading 50 % to 41 % . However , the most recent independent SurveyUSA poll shows Davis up by two percentage points ( 46 % Davis - 44 % Lucas ) . Davis has a decisive lead in fundraising . The Cook Political Report , an independent non - partisan newsletter , rated the race for Kentucky ' s 4th Congressional District as a " Republican Toss - Up " , meaning either party has a good chance of winning . Davis won re - election 52 % - 43 % , a margin of 17 , 023 votes . 2008 . Davis won re - election with 63 % of the vote , defeating Michael Kelley . 2010 . Davis was challenged by Democrat John Waltz , whom he defeated with 69 % of the votes cast . Tenure . Davis has a solidly conservative voting record ; according to his congressional website , he has positioned himself as pro - life and in favor of industrial deregulation . In November 2005 , Davis made headlines for his response to Pennsylvania representative John Murtha ' s call for withdrawal from Iraq , saying , " Ayman Zawahiri , Osama bin Laden ' s deputy , as well as Abu Musab Zarqawi , have made it quite clear in their internal propaganda that they cannot win unless they can drive the Americans out . And they know that they can ' t do that there , so they ' ve brought the battlefield to the halls of Congress . And , frankly , the liberal leadership have put politics ahead of sound , fiscal and national security policy . And what they have done is cooperated with our enemies and are emboldening our enemies . " Davis faced harsh criticism for his remarks , including , for example , from the Democratic Veterans of Northern Kentucky , and sparked a drive led by national Democratic Party leaders to get Ken Lucas to run against him in 2006 . Davis is a staunch advocate of a federal prohibition of online poker . In 2006 , he supported H . R . 4411 , the Goodlatte - Leach Internet Gambling Prohibition Act . In 2008 , he opposed H . R . 5767 , the Payment Systems Protection Act ( a bill that sought to place a moratorium on enforcement of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act while the U . S . Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve defined " unlawful Internet gambling " ) . In October 2009 , Congressman Davis filed the REINS ( Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny ) Act which would give Congress an up or down vote on major rules . On December 7 , 2011 , the bill was passed in the House . The President has threatened to veto it if it comes to his desk . In 2011 , Davis voted for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 as part of a controversial provision that allows the government and the military to indefinitely detain American citizens and others without trial . Contributors . The Davis campaign has received contributions from the Americans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee ( ARMPAC ) , which was led by former Texas Congressman Tom DeLay . As of June 30 , 2006 , according to the Federal Election Commission , of the $ 2 . 4 million contributed to the Davis campaign for the current 2006 electoral cycle , $ 10 , 000 was contributed by ARMPAC . Tom DeLay is the subject of indictments sought by Ronnie Earle , the district attorney for Travis County , Texas , alleging violations of Texas campaign - finance law . Judge Pat Priest has dismissed one indictment against DeLay , the second has not yet come to trial . The charges against DeLay are considered by some to be politically motivated . Democrats have indicated that they consider the ARMPAC contributions to be a campaign issue . Davis was never accused of any misconduct . Davis has received donations from Republican Duke Cunningham , who pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit bribery , mail fraud , wire fraud , and tax evasion . Davis has not chosen to give back the money from Cunningham , while many other recipients have . Davis received a donation from Congressman Bob Ney , who pleaded guilty for bribery and his involvement with convicted felon Jack Abramoff . Controversies . On April 12 , 2008 , at a Northern Kentucky Lincoln Day dinner , Davis compared the campaign slogans of Barack Obama to the sales pitch of a " snake oil salesman " . He said in his remarks at the GOP dinner that he participated in a " highly classified , national security simulation " with Obama . " I ' m going to tell you something : That boy ' s finger does not need to be on the button , " Davis added . " He could not make a decision in that simulation that related to a nuclear threat to this country . " Davis also made reference to Obama as being put into the Senate by someone who will probably spend many years of his life in prison ( presumably a reference to Tony Rezko ) and that Obama had never had a real job before . Davis later apologized for his comment in a letter : Dear Senator Obama : On Saturday night I gave a speech in which I used a poor choice of words when discussing the national security policy positions of the Presidential candidates . I was quoted as saying " That boy ' s finger does not need to be on the button . " My poor choice of words is regrettable and was in no way meant to impugn you or your integrity . I offer my sincere apology to you and ask for your forgiveness . Though we may disagree on many issues , I know that we share the goal of a prosperous , secure future for our nation . My comment has detracted from the dialogue that we should all be having on legitimate policy differences and in no way reflects the personal and professional respect I have for you . Sincerely , < br > Geoff Davis Resignation . On July 31 , 2012 , Geoff Davis resigned from Congress due to family health issues , effective immediately . Governor Steve Beshear called for a special election to fill the seat to occur the same day as the general election in November , which would allow the winner to be sworn in immediately .