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In November 2015, Davis initially was elected to the BESE seat for northwestern Louisiana,  63,610 votes (51 percent). His runoff opponent, interim member Mary Eleanor Johnson Harris, a [[Shreveport]] Republican, polled 60,746 votes (49 percent). Despite his close victory, Davis was the only  BESE member to run unopposed in 2019. The board has eight elected members and three gubernatorial appointees. It serves more than 700,000 pupils.

In November 2015, Davis initially was elected to the BESE seat for northwestern Louisiana,  63,610 votes (51 percent). His runoff opponent, interim member Mary Eleanor Johnson Harris, a [[Shreveport]] Republican, polled 60,746 votes (49 percent). Despite his close victory, Davis was the only  BESE member to run unopposed in 2019. The board has eight elected members and three gubernatorial appointees. It serves more than 700,000 pupils.

Davis is a graduate of [[Northwestern State University]] in Natchitoches. and the "good government" group, Leadership Louisiana. He is the former executive director of Natchitoches Community Alliance and a former president of the Natchitoches [[Chamber of Commerce]]. He also serves as vice chairman of the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, also in Natchitoches. Davis and his wife, Amy, a design consultant, have two children.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bese.louisiana.gov/about-bese/bese-members/bese-district-4-representative|title=BESE District 4 Representative: Tony Davis|publisher=Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education|accessdate=December 4, 2020}}</ref>

Davis is a graduate of [[Northwestern State University]] in Natchitoches. and the "good government" group, Leadership Louisiana. He is the former executive director of Natchitoches Community Alliance and a former president of the Natchitoches [[Chamber of Commerce]]. He also serves as vice chairman of the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, also in Natchitoches. Davis and his wife, Amy, a design consultant, have two children.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bese.louisiana.gov/about-bese/bese-members/bese-district-4-representative|title=BESE District 4 Representative: Tony Davis|publisher=Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education|accessdate=December 4, 2020}}</ref>

In the race to succeed Davis, a runoff is pending between Democrat Cassie Williams and Republican Michael Melerine, who polled, respectively, 10,764 votes (29 percent) to 10,359 (28 percent). The third-placed candidate, Shelly McFarland (born 1975), the wife of Republican state Representative Jack McFarland of Winnfield, finished with 8,250 votes (22 percent). She ran with a commitment to teacher pay raises but did not address the issue of school choice. Jack McFarland, meanwhile, is seeking to raise the state [[gasoline]] tax by four cents to fund highway projects.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thehayride.com/2020/12/sadow-jack-mcfarland-and-gas-tax-shelly-mcfarland-and-bese/|title=Jack McFarland and Gas Tax, Shelly McFarland and BESE|date=December 1, 2020|accessdate=December 4, 2020|author=Jeffrey D. Sadow|publisher=''The Hayride''}}</ref> In fourth place in the primary tabulation was former state Senator [[John Milkovich]] of [[Shreveport]], who received 5,843 votes (16 percent). Turnout in the race was just 9.7 percent.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, March 20, 2021.</ref>

In the race to succeed Davis, a runoff is pending on April 24 between Democrat Cassie Williams of [[Bossier City]] and Republican Michael Melerine, a [[Shreveport]] attorney, who polled, respectively, 10,764 votes (29 percent) to 10,359 (28 percent). The third-placed candidate, Shelly McFarland (born 1975), the wife of Republican state Representative Jack McFarland of Winnfield, finished with 8,250 votes (22 percent). She ran with a commitment to teacher pay raises but did not address the issue of school choice. Jack McFarland, meanwhile, is seeking to raise the state [[gasoline]] tax by four cents to fund highway projects.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thehayride.com/2020/12/sadow-jack-mcfarland-and-gas-tax-shelly-mcfarland-and-bese/|title=Jack McFarland and Gas Tax, Shelly McFarland and BESE|date=December 1, 2020|accessdate=December 4, 2020|author=Jeffrey D. Sadow|publisher=''The Hayride''}}</ref> In fourth place in the primary tabulation was former state Senator [[John Milkovich]] of Shreveport, who received 5,843 votes (16 percent). Turnout in the race was just 9.7 percent.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, March 20, 2021.</ref>

==References==

==References==