Remember last summer when there was a babe filibustering on the senate floor? Well that same babe is running for governor of Texas. Wendy Davis is known both for her pink sneakers and her support for reproductive rights in her home state. Wendy became a single mother at 19 and has publicly discussed having two abortions, leading her to be very supportive of reproductive rights. Now she has joined the gubernatorial race in the Lone Star State.
A group of people targeting her looks, rather than her policies or qualifications, have started a website devoted to “exposing” her appearance and why she’s “too attractive”. If you love looking at things you’ll hate, check out that gem of a website here.
This is not the first time a woman has run for governor in Texas, though her opposition makes the concept seem wildly improbable. The first female governor of Texas, Miriam A. Ferguson, held office from 1925 to 1927 then again from 1932 to 1935. The second and most recent female governor of Texas, Ann Richards (in office 1991 to 1995), was a witty and outspoken feminist. She appeared in commercials, TX-based TV show “King of the Hill,” and a Ken Burns documentary called “The West.” Richards also aligned herself with social causes such as women’s rights, equality, and access to abortion. Her daughter, Cecile Richards, later became the president of Planned Parenthood.
When Wendy filibustered last June, it was for the state senate to rethink and delay their decision on abortion restrictions. Unfortunately, her filibuster wasn’t too successful. Davis stands for reproductive rights, pro-marriage equality, and supports gun restrictions. She is backed by a huge political action committee that supports pro-choice like-minded Democratic women in politics, called EMILY’s list.
Based on her progressive stance on controversial issues, she has a lot of support from women and liberals in her state. Her funding however, is still about a third of her conservative opponent, Greg Abbott. Abbott’s advertising campaign is so large that it can target Wendy Davis constantly in movie theaters and on TV.
Some of Abbott’s recent actions include cutting school funding, supporting anti-LGBTQIA organizations, and generally limiting women’s freedom. Abbott supports overturning Roe v. Wade, making all abortion illegal including in cases of rape and incest, and the health of the mother. He also believes that employers should decide whether their employees can access prescriptions like birth control, as in the recent case with Hobby Lobby.
Last but not least, he is strongly against equal pay for equal work, especially in his own office. The women who work for him make about $6,000 less per year than the men and only 3 out of the top 20 paid employees are women. He claims his employees are paid less because “men are better negotiators.”
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Images via National Review and Dallas News.
