It pays to have good name recognition &045;&045; especially if your job requires you to win an election every two years to stay in office.

At least that’s what U.S. Rep. Artur Davis is hoping in the wake of a new poll that shows the freshman congressman with 71 percent name recognition among residents in Alabama’s 7th Congressional District.

The poll was commissioned by Davis and conducted May 19-22 by Anzalone-Liszt Research, an independent research firm in Montgomery. The poll surveyed those likely to vote in the Democratic primary and has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percent.

In addition to achieving name recognition with nearly three out of four potential voters, Davis also garnered an overall favorable rating of 65 percent, according to the poll. That breaks down to a 56 percent approval rating among white voters and a 69 percent approval rating among black voters.

The poll gives the first-term congressman an overall job approval rating of 67 percent among both blacks and whites.

Davis has maintained a high profile among 7th District voters since defeating five-term incumbent Earl Hilliard in the June 2002 Democratic Primary. He has staffed several new field offices and conducted a number of town hall meetings since taking office.

That effort is apparently paying off. The poll gives Davis with a wide margin of support when paired up against three potential political opponents.

If the election were held today, the poll predicts Davis would best state Sen. Roger Smitherman 61 percent to 14 percent. Likewise, Davis holds a 62 percent to 12 percent lead over state Sen. Charles Steele and a 61 percent to 16 percent edge over state Sen. Hank Sanders of Selma.