SALEM – J. Davisson, the oldest child of deceased State Rep. Steve Davisson (R-Salem) announced Friday his candidacy for his father’s seat. The elder Davisson died on Sept. 19 following a lengthy battle with cancer. He was elected in 2010 and was serving his sixth two-year term.
“For 11 years, I watched my father work tirelessly to serve the people of his district and to improve the lives of all Hoosiers,” Davisson said. “I would be honored to have the privilege of carrying on his work.”
The open seat will be filled by a party caucus on October 21. In addition to Washington County, House District 73 includes parts of five other counties: Clark, Harrison, Jackson, Lawrence, and Orange. The winner of the caucus vote will serve until the November 2022 election.
“No one will ever be able to replace my dad, but I am committed to serving with the same sense of loyalty, duty, integrity, and respect that he exemplified,” Davisson said. “Having campaigned alongside Dad, I know the district, its people, and their issues. In addition, I was fortunate to have had countless conversations with him about the legislation he worked on and why it mattered to his constituents and to the state of Indiana.
J. Davisson, 39, is a lifelong resident of Salem, where he is raising his two children after having lost his wife to cancer earlier this year. He graduated from Salem High School and earned a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University. A highly decorated and disabled Army combat veteran of both Afghanistan and Iraq, Davisson retired as a sergeant first class after 17 years of military service. Already a partner with his father in family-owned Good Living Pharmacy, Davisson has assumed full-time responsibility for business operations. A member of Salem Church of the Nazarene and Salem Masonic Lodge 21, Davisson served as Washington County Young Republican chairman and served for nine years on the board of directors of the Indiana War Memorial Commission, having been appointed by former Gov. Mike Pence and reappointed by Gov. Eric Holcomb.
