ASHEVILLE - Sen. Jim Davis will retire from the General Assembly, but he may not be relaxing right away. The conservative has thrown his hat in the ring to replace U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows.

The Macon County Republican on Dec. 19 filed to run for the 11th Congressional District seat. Meadows said hours earlier that he would not be seeking reelection to the recently redrawn district that now includes Asheville.

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Davis has served in the Senate for 10 years — first elected in 2010 — but saw his conservative bona fides as a good fit for Meadows' seat.

“Congressman Mark Meadows’ retirement is a huge blow to Western North Carolina and movement conservatives all across our state and country," Davis said in a press release. "I know I can’t fill Mark’s shoes but my experience in the State Senate shows I will stand with President Trump and fight for Western North Carolina’s conservative values.”

Davis' background

The release stated Davis has been "an instrumental part of the conservative revolution that has swept across North Carolina since 2010 by balancing budgets, reducing taxes, improving the regulatory environment, jumpstarting economic growth, and safeguarding the Second Amendment."

He is the chair of the N.C. Senate's Transportation Committee and Appropriations Committee on Transportation. He is anti-abortion and has a lifetime A-rating from the NRA, his statement said.

"In recent years, Davis led the fight to end the opioid epidemic in Western North Carolina and across the state by sponsoring and shepherding the bipartisan STOP Act, HOPE Act and Opioid Epidemic Response Act through the legislature," his statement said.

Recently, Davis was a sponsor of a bill to create Pisgah View State Park and a supporter of sports betting on tribal lands.

He lives in Franklin with his wife, Judy.