Wendy Davis, Opponent of 20-Week Abortion Ban, Will Likely Run for Governor of Texas; Could Help Pro-Life Cause
Wendy Davis, the famed Texas state senator who filibustered a bill that banned abortions at 20 weeks, will make an announcement on Oct. 3, she told supporters in a Wednesday email. Reporters in Texas following her story suspect she will announce a run for governor of Texas.
"There's one question I've gotten quite often in the past few months. What's next?" Davis told supporters, according to the Fort Worth Star Telegram. "On Oct. 3, I'll be answering that question. I truly appreciate all the work that you - my grassroots team - have done for me thus far. And I'm excited about what we can do together in the future."
According to the Austin American Statesman, Davis will likely announce a run for Texas governor with state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte (D) joining her as a candidate for lieutenant governor, which is also a statewide elected position in Texas.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Davis gained national fame for filibustering a bill to ban abortions at 20-weeks. That bill later became law.
Davis appeared on a number of national talk shows after her filibuster where she complained that Republicans were only pushing for the 20-week ban to gain national attention. She later traveled to Washington, D.C., for an event at the National Press Club and to raise money. Politico reports that Davis has raised $6.2 million since her filibuster.
Polls show that a majority of Americans, and women more so than men, support banning abortions after 20 weeks of gestation.
"As a politician whose claim to fame is literally standing up for gruesome late-term abortions on pain-capable babies, now-gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis is in for a rude awakening," pro-life activist Lila Rose, president of Live Action, said in a statement to The Christian Post. "More and more polls show a majority of Americans, including both Texans in general and Texas women in particular, opposing Davis's pet procedure."
A Davis candidacy could be a boon for the pro-life cause. Since Davis came to national prominence for her position on abortion, her candidacy will likely bring more attention to the issue.
In a June interview with The Christian Post, Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life, said that most of the media generally do not want to talk about the issue of abortion. When the media feels obligated to talk about the issue, it presents an opportunity for pro-lifers to reach what Hawkins calls the "mushy middle," those who feel uncomfortable with the issue of abortion and would rather not think about it.
Rose argued that a Davis gubernatorial candidacy would help the pro-life cause by putting more of a spotlight on the issue.
"Ms. Davis's candidacy will accomplish the last thing the abortion movement wants: it will shine more light on the horrifying facts of abortion," she said. "As the uncompromisingly pro-abortion Davis seeks the governorship of a solidly pro-life state, those of us who affirm the dignity of pre-born human beings will continue to expose her radical abortion agenda, and the positively fringe mentality of the big abortion corporations gunning to bankroll her candidacy."
The last Democrat, and last female, to hold the office of governor of Texas was Ann Richards. She served in the early 1990's and was defeated by George W. Bush in the 1994 election.
