AG U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Davis Dies From Cancer

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Davis, a member of the Assemblies of God who served in Congress for seven years, died Oct. 6 after a two-year battle with breast cancer.

Davis, 57, became Virginia's first Republican woman elected to Congress in 2000, and she was a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee.

“Her determination to fight the disease is an inspiration to all of us,” President Bush said. “She was a fine example of a public servant who worked hard to cut government waste to ensure the people's money was used wisely. “Her common-sense values will be missed on Capitol Hill.''

Her first piece of legislation, passed by the House in 2001, increased the life insurance benefit paid to survivors of military members killed on duty.

A conservative who came from modest means, Davis was known for her unquenchable inquisitiveness and how quickly and deeply she learned about any legislative issue.

“I always admired Congresswoman Davis' strong convictions and the tenacity that she brought to bear in acting on them,” said U.S. Sen. John W. Warner, a fellow Virginia Republican.

She underwent chemotherapy treatments and a mastectomy when her cancer was first diagnosed in 2005. When the cancer returned this year, she underwent chemotherapy again and often monitored hearings from her home in Glocester.

Survivors include her husband, Chuck, two sons and a granddaughter.

Editor Ken Horn interviewed Rep. Davis in Washington, D.C., from a Conversation that was published in the February 29, 2004, Pentecostal Evangel. That interview follows, exactly as it appeared:

Christians in politics

Jo Ann Davis serves Virginia’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House
of Representatives. She spoke with Managing Editor Ken Horn during the
Assemblies of God’s 50th General Council in Washington, D.C.

PE: What is the atmosphere and what are the challenges as a believer
involved in government?

DAVIS: I’m not a politician first; I’m a Christian who happens to be in
politics. I feel very strongly that this is the path that God led me on. I
see a lot of ways in Congress, in Washington, in which God is working. I
think now more than ever we have a godly man in the White House and we have Christians in the House and Senate. I believe God is trying to move and it’s time now that we pray and humble ourselves.

PE: How would you recommend Christians pray for government and for the political climate in the nation?

DAVIS: I would pray that the leaders in government would have godly wisdom, that they would listen to the Lord and that they would be bold, step out and not worry about being politically correct. Pray that God’s Spirit would descend upon Washington and upon each and every member of Congress. I ask people to pray that I would not only have wisdom but that I would be open in my spirit to hear from God, and that I would be obedient to the Lord.

PE: What are the issues that Christians should be concerned about?

DAVIS: Issues that impact the family are the ones that concern me the most — the homosexual agenda, the need for pro-life legislation, for example. Families are the basis of our nation.

PE: During the continuing conflict overseas, how should we be praying and
supporting our troops and our leaders?

DAVIS: I serve on the House Armed Services Committee and International
Relations Committee and I have visited our men and women in the military
over in Afghanistan. We need to pray for their safety, that God will bring
them back home to their families.

PE: How did you come to know Christ?

DAVIS: I was saved when I was 25 in 1981. My husband’s sister led me to the Lord when his mother died.

PE: Describe your journey into politics.

DAVIS: I spent months asking God to use me. Eventually, I got my real estate license and opened a real estate company. One of my real estate agents in 1997 asked me to consider running for the state legislature against a 15-year incumbent. I was not political in any way, shape or form. I voted every year for pro-life candidates, but I didn’t know anything else about them. And then my friend said those fateful words: “Would you pray about it?” So I prayed. I started to feel led by the Lord to run. I asked my husband, knowing that if he said no, I wouldn’t do it. And he said, “I knew three years ago that you would do something like this.” I ran for the state legislature in 1997, and started serving in 1998. I served three years and then the congressman in my district announced his retirement. I knew that I was supposed to run for Congress. I did, against all odds. Even the governor endorsed another candidate, but I knew that the Lord had told me I was going to Congress. So we ran even though we didn’t have any money. We won. Here we are.

PE: Any other thoughts?

DAVIS: Just continue praying. There are so many of us in government who feel those prayers and we know the prayers are what keep us going. Without prayer, I couldn’t be here.

End of interview.

The staff of Today's Pentecostal Evangel are appreciative of the life and ministry of this godly woman who was a patriot and a Christian.

(Photo By Peggy Horn)