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| Texas Capital/ Flickr CC via Chim Chim |
This morning Wendy Davis, a Texas state legislator made famous for her remarkable filibustering skills,
announced she is running for governor of Texas.
She is considered an underdog in the already high budget race. Analysts have estimated she will need to
raise $40 million in order to be competitive with republican candidate Greg
Abbott. While Davis is very popular with
liberals, the state is heavily republican leaning.
In June, Davis made headlines after she performed an 11-hour
filibuster to try and block a bill that limited women’s rights to an
abortion. It sparked national attention,
especially after conservatives tossed around the nickname “Abortion Barbie” on
social media, an insult that was half-heartedly endorsed by Abbott.
As a fresh face for her party with a strong personal story,
Davis is an ideal candidate. Whether
Texas voters will be able to respond is still in question. Abbott has the power of the Republican Party
and donors with deep pockets on his side.
Anti-abortion groups have also already put out ads that denounce Wendy
Davis as a gubernatorial candidate. The
fact that she came to prominence over the issue of abortion may also work
against her, as social issues will definitely be a constant campaign
discussion.
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| Wendy Davis at a Texas women's rally/ Flickr CC via Do 512 |
Abortion is a difficult platform politically, because most
people do not change their opinion on the subject, and those who feel
passionately about it will consider it reason enough to not only vote against
Davis, but slander her as well. Judith Warner of the Center for American Progress believes that Davis being a
punching bag for women’s rights will only help the Democratic Party. That opinion makes sense when you look at
last year’s mid-term elections, the era of viral phrases such as “legitimate
rape” and “binders full of women”.
It also appears that Republicans are not doing much better
for women either. A recent poll showed
that only 11% of women under the age of 50 say that the party has moved more
aligned in their favor. It should be an interesting political race to follow
next year.
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