HOUSTON, Texas — While State Senator and gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis had previously distanced herself from President Obama, who currently has a low approval rating, the state senator openly embraced his big-government policies during a recent campaign stop. As Davis continues to trail her opponent, Attorney General Greg Abbott, in the polls, she has made desperate attempts to gain traction at the last minute.
“I have been very pleased and proud to have the support of my president,” Davis announced at a get-out-the-vote event in the Houston area on Tuesday. She was attempting to appeal to African American voters, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Davis continued, “If you believe like I do, that it’s time to end this nonsense and stop spiting our president just to say no, then go and vote.”
The state senator’s recent statements mark a pivot in her campaign efforts; previously, Davis had refused to openly say if she supported the president.
During the first Governor’s Debate, held in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, Abbott asked Davis, “Do you regret voting for Barack Obama?” The state senator did not answer the question, and instead simply laughed nervously.
In the face of Davis’ flip-flop, Abbott publicly stated that in his view, Davis’ ideology is strikingly similar to that of President Obama.
During a recent campaign event Abbott said, “My opponent poses a very different vision for the future of this state…we’ve seen the way that her policies echo exactly what Barack Obama has stood for. We cannot allow the next four years in Texas to look like the last six years under Barack Obama; we must win this election. As governor, I will keep Texas going in the right direction.”
Abbott has continued to hold a strong lead over Davis. A recent Rasmussen poll show him having a double-digit lead. Rasmussen’s analysis of the poll’s results show that Davis’ attempt to appeal to women is not working. “Davis has criticized Abbott for his positions on women’s issues, but only 24% of voters in Texas think there is really a political ‘war on women,”” Rasmussen reported. “Sixty-one percent (61%) believe that is primarily a slogan used for political purposes instead. This is consistent with voter attitudes nationally.”
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