Washington Post Says BioGate Bad for Wendy Davis

Texas Democrat gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis has been viewed as a rising star on the left, but with her claims about her personal biography falling apart, now that star is dimming well before Election Day. 

Much of the media is trying to downplay Davis’ troubles, but the Washington Post is taking note and saying that this could lead to a major problem for Davis and not just in this election.

Columnist Chris Cillizza noted on his The Fix blog that Davis could be on the verge of a meltdown that will hurt her standing both locally and nationally. If she fails, that failure could also hurt the Texas Democrat Party itself.

Noting that the Dallas Morning News released a blockbuster report debunking many of the key, most sympathetic aspects of the personal biography that Davis has been selling to raise her profile and campaign funds, Cillizza says that what Davis does from here will determine if she remains the rising star many Democrats hope her to be.

Cillizza says that Davis has a small chance of winning the race for governor but only because of her compelling story. Essentially, if Davis were able to win office, it will be because the timing was right for her compelling personal narrative to push her over the top.

But Davis’ status would be ruined, Cillizza says, if her candidacy were to be viewed as “sub-par.”

“If the campaign is dogged by stories about her bio and her star–which is ascendant at the moment–is viewed as tarnished in some real way, then her ability to reserve that place at the front of the line is far less certain,” Cillizza writes.

If Davis’ campaign is not credible, the Post political commentator says, her meteoric rise into the Democrat firmament will fizzle out. That fizzle will redound on the Party as well as the candidate in a state where Democrats hope to begin making inroads into a GOP stronghold.