Update: 3:53 p.m.A spokesman for Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has responded to Wendy Davis’ speech at an Annie’s List luncheon in Dallas. Matt Mackowiak’s response inserted in original post.
“While Sen. Davis is attacking Greg Abbott, Greg Abbott is attacking the challenges facing Texans, like creating more jobs, improving education, building new roads and securing the border,” said Abbott spokeswoman Amelia Chasse. “Women – and all Texans – deserve more from their candidates than Sen. Davis’ misleading attacks designed to distract from her ever-increasing series of ethics scandals. Texas women showed their support for Greg Abbott’s record and vision by casting more votes for him in the primary election than for Sen. Davis and her follow Democrat candidates combined.”
Original post:
State Senator Wendy Davis slammed rival Greg Abbott on Tuesday at the Hilton Anatole, saying the GOP governor nominee supports policies that are hostile toward Texas women. (Lara Solt/Staff Photographer)
State Sen. Wendy Davis on Tuesday unleashed a blistering attack on rival Greg Abbott, saying the GOP nominee for governor supports policies that are hostile toward Texas women.
“The last thing Texas women need in their lives is Greg Abbott,” Davis said during a luncheon sponsored by Annie’s List, a group that supports progressive women candidates.
Davis, the Democratic nominee for governor, said that Abbott does not support equal pay for women, has ruled against rape survivors when he was on the Texas Supreme Court and stood by as a “surrogate” described incest and rape as minor issues for women considering abortion.
“If Greg Abbott spent some time in the place of those women he is so-called guarding …, maybe he’d understand how rape is not a minor issue,” she said.
Davis slammed Abbott over a comment made by Republican consultant Matt Mackowiak on Sunday’s edition of KXAS (NBC5) Lone Star Politics. In explaining why Davis had a problem in Texas because of her support for abortion rights, Mackowiak described exceptions to abortion bans for rapes and incest as minor issues as it relates to the percentage of abortions.
Mackowiak does not work for Abbott’s campaign. He says he is not a surrogate. He was invited on Lone Star Politics to provide commentary on last week’s debate between Davis and Abbott.
“The Davis campaign has intentionally mischaracterized what I said in a desperate attempt to raise money, while selfishly trivializing domestic violence and sexual assault victims by using them to score cheap political points,” Mackowiak said in a prepared statement.
Still, Davis pressed her attack.
“It’s time to beat back the ignorance and contempt that closed down women’s health centers all across our state,” she said.
Davis was joined at the lunch by state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor.
Van de Putte mocked her opponent, state Sen. Dan Patrick, adding that he too was bad for Texas.
“You have heard what my sister has told you about her opponent, Greg Abbott,” Van de Putte said. “We’ve just had lunch. I don’t know if I want to talk about Dan Patrick.”