A friend of the Clintons' from Yale Law School, Davis "admires" the New York senator and "knows what a tremendous individual she is," said Susan Ness, a former Federal Communications Commissioner during the Clinton administration, who, like Davis, got her start in Montgomery County politics.
"He has done all he has from his heart, and he's got a huge heart," Ness said of Davis. "He's a very caring person, but very much of a political person."
The petition drive represents the more aggressive branch of Clinton supporters as her campaign winds down. Others, such as strategist James Carville, said the opposing camps need time to cool down and then talk.
"While Senator Clinton has made clear throughout this process that she will do whatever she can to elect a Democrat to the White House, she is not seeking the vice presidency, and no one speaks for her but her," campaign spokesman Phil Singer said yesterday in a statement. "The choice here is Senator Obama's and his alone."
A New Jersey native, Davis, 62, ran for Congress from Maryland twice in the 1970s and later represented the state as a member of the Democratic National Committee.
Davis "loves the game, and he is a passionate advocate for his friends," said Susan Turnbull of Montgomery County, the vice chairwoman of the DNC, who succeeded Davis in the organization. "He considers [the Clintons] very close friends."
"He's been a mentor to a lot of young Democratic activists, including me," said Cheryl C. Kagan, a former state lawmaker who has known Davis since she was a teenager.
But Kagan, a Hillary Clinton supporter, questions the effort of Davis and others, saying the vice presidency might not be the right fit for Clinton.
"I think she's been a terrific senator, and I think she can help President Obama enact a progressive legislative agenda, from the Senate," Kagan said.
The vice presidency "is a two-person decision, and it is presumptuous of any of us to have a say," she said.
Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot, an Obama supporter from Montgomery County, played down the significance of the petition drive, calling it "fine" but "probably not pivotal."
Obama is certain to include Clinton on a short list of vice presidential prospects, Franchot said, adding that she deserved to be there.
The strengths and weaknesses of an Obama-Clinton pairing have been much discussed. Clinton drew strong support from older voters, Hispanics and lower-income workers, which could help Obama in the general election if she were on the ticket.
But she remains a polarizing figure, with a high proportion of the electorate saying they would not vote for her.
As comments increased about the audacity of an organized push by a close Clinton ally to get her on the ticket, Davis said he did not receive a request from the campaign to suspend his effort.
But he said he would not work any harder at it.
"I intend to do nothing further. This is not an advocacy campaign. I need to get my life back," he said. "I did what I could for my good friend."
david.nitkin@baltsun.com
