Davis challenged HBC commissioner Donald Alexander Smith for the Presidency of the Provincial Agricultural Association in 1872.

In April 1874, Davis won a by-election to the provincial legislature for the riding of Winnipeg & St. Johns (replacing Smith, who had resigned).

Like his predecessors, he recognized the importance of demographic balance and appointed French-Canadian Joseph Royal as his Provincial Secretary.

His ministry won the support of the "French party", but did not attain an overall majority in parliament until Davis formed a new alliance with former minister John Norquay.

The Davis government was primarily opposed by the anglophone allies of John Christian Schultz, who were led in parliament by Orangeman Francis Cornish.

As premier, Davis continued his policy of debt reduction (for which he attained an increased Federal subsidy), and convinced the unelected Legislative Council to vote itself out of existence in January 1876.