I have always been a fan of Artur Davis, even while living in the state to the west.

He is well educated, poised and articulate. But more than that, he realizes where he is from. While serving in Congress, he never forgot his roots of poverty and struggle. He never forgot the people who put him in office.

While running for governor, Davis seemed to move more toward the center — a dangerous place for a Democrat in the post-Bush/Reagan years, especially in Alabama where the Republican Party is getting a lion’s share of the political power as evidenced by the most recent statewide elections.

So during his campaign, Davis proposed sound ideas, which cut to the quick of the rhetoric used by some in the Alabama Democratic Party stronghold and frightened those Republicans who wanted to establish state power without having to worry about cutting deals.

Davis just came at the wrong time.

Aggressive Republican campaigning for the Alabama Legislature and high state offices rallied Democrats to the core. Davis’ opponent seemed willing to give away anything to win the core support of his party; and he was what the electorate had become accustomed to seeing in a white Democrat — a populist with a lot of ideas, a lot of mud and little else of substance.

Davis stayed on message most of the time. But it was the wrong time. The core Democrats, those he had shunned in the past and managed to beat, had less tolerance for this Harvard-educated son of Alabama because he broke the ranks and quite publicly so. Davis dared vote against the Obama health-care plan. He called out the Democratic king pin makers and drew a line in the sand.

The Republicans sat back and watched Democrats self-destruct while keeping their own Bradley Byrne – Robert Bentley drama just enough out of center stage for satisfying voters.

To say that Davis gave up on his region would be wrong. He voted in Congress as a moderate, reflecting the majority of his district when all is considered. He was a presence in his district and he knew its people.

Davis’ bid for governor just came at the wrong time for someone playing the middle. He was a victim of his own sense of fairness. And, in the end, he just couldn’t see why.