AUSTIN, Texas — Political commentators are wondering if there is anything at all that Davis could do to rescue her floundering campaign. One factor that may be dooming Davis is her poor showing with Texas women voters.
When her filibuster of the abortion bill made national news, Davis quickly caught the attention of Hollywood, garnering especially enthusiastic accolades from liberal actresses. Alyssa Milano praised the filibuster as “one of the most dramatic things you’ll see in politics.” Lena Dunham tweeted to Davis that she was a “bad-a** b****,” and “We love you, Wendy!” Molly Ringwald joined in the adulation of Davis’ pink running shoes, and Connie Britton hosted an Austin fundraiser for Davis in May.
Unfortunately for Davis, Hollywood actresses are, for the most part, not registered to vote in Texas. A recent internal poll by WPA Opinion Research released by the Abbott campaign showed that not only was Abbott thumping Davis 53 percent to 35 percent, he was also winning women voters, 47 to 41 percent. Kathleen McKinley, a conservative blogger for the Houston Chronicle, attributes Davis’ problems winning women’s votes with the way her campaign has been defined from the outset. “Wendy Davis seems to fail to understand that Texas women are defined by more than their sexuality,” McKinley told Breitbart Texas. “We have brains, and we use them. Texas women love their children, and we look for ways to best take care of them. Davis defined herself with abortion, but that’s not what defines us.”
Cari Christman, the Executive Director of Red State Women, a conservative women’s organization launched earlier this year, told Breitbart Texas that Davis’ problems with women voters were part of a larger negative trend for Texas Democrats losing votes since the peak of Obama’s election. “Texas women recognize genuine leadership when they see it,” said Christman. “Losing more than 1 million voters since President Obama’s election in 2008, the decline in Texas female democrat voters is abysmal and Wendy Davis’ presence on the primary ballot didn’t stop the bleeding. Wendy Davis has failed to reach Texas women and her inability to garner their support will ultimately lead to her defeat in November.”
Red State Women has launched a new website, The Female Fact[her], which discusses “the direct influence women have on our society, our economy, and our political landscape,” and with 55% of the Texas electorate being comprised of women, Texas Democrats are unlikely to achieve any major electoral successes unless they can figure out how to connect with this state’s women voters better than Davis has.
Follow Sarah Rumpf on Twitter at @rumpfshaker.
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