Artur Davis picked a perfect politicking spot to talk to the citizens of Shelby County.

The Democratic hopeful for the 2010 gubernatorial race spoke inside the packed Elements Café as his listeners dined on homestyle cooking with fried chicken and fresh vegetables.

Davis started off by speaking about the importance of the upcoming election to Democrats. He reminded the audience that Democrats have won exactly one governor’s race in Alabama since the time of George Wallace.

“There are a lot of ways we can lose this election,” he said. “But the most likely way is if it turns out we didn’t stand for anything.”

Davis spoke on the importance of reaching across the aisle and working with Republicans to pass essential legislation.

“We don’t know everything, ladies and gentlemen. We’ve got to get past demonizing people who don’t agree with us,” he said.

He spoke about the need for a new state constitution, saying that once a new constitution is written and put in place, Alabama will become well known for making that change.

He also spoke about the need to focus on improving schools. He said when he asks people across the state what they want to see from a governor, the most common reply is to see a school system that’s competitive nation-wide.

“This is for the children,” Davis said. “Because they’re the ones who are going to be deciding, ‘Should I stay in Alabama? Should I go?’”

He urged his listeners to work hard to make the dream of electing a Democrat as governor come true.

“I need all of us in this room to stop hiding our light under a bushel,” he said. “Don’t let anybody tell you, ladies and gentlemen, that being a democrat means you don’t have faith and that you don’t love your country.”