When faced with the news that the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) was not going to invest in State Senator Wendy Davis’ gubernatorial bid as a top tier effort, the campaign offered a taste of internecine anger that is certain to make Texas Republicans delight as the 2014 General Election approaches.
“The uninformed opinions of a Washington, DC desk jockey who’s never stepped foot in Texas couldn’t be less relevant to what’s actually happening on the ground,” Davis campaign manager Karin Johanson told The Washington Post.
Though The Washington Post certainly deserves credit for picking up the story of the DGA dumping Davis, the analysis offered as to why national Democrats would hedge bets in Texas leaves much to the imagination. As Breitbart Texas has recently reported, the Davis camp cannot truly point to a respectable polling outfit–even Public Policy Polling (PPP)–to demonstrate to donors that the needle is moving in any way toward Democratic gains.
Heads-up polling against Attorney General Greg Abbott–whom The Post calls a “blue chip” adversary–have consistently been abysmal with double-digit deficits. Worse, recent figures indicate that Davis trails Abbott among female voters by almost 10 points.
Again, The Post deserves a nod for painting Davis’ bid for the gambit that it is–helping build political infrastructure for the next candidate. “It will only help their longer term aspirations in Texas,” The Post writes. That assertion is evidenced by a number of factors to include actions by Davis, Battleground Texas and ACORN.
Davis’ headline-inspiring poor showing along the Texas border with Mexico evidenced an air of inevitability in the primary, signaling to grassroots donors that get-out-the-vote dress rehearsals in critical regions were a low priority. Further, Davis’ direct email messaging to supporters has consistently been light on ideas and heavy on “chip in” fundraising charges that Abbott is anti-future, or something.
Wendy Davis has, however, dutifully played her part in the larger Democratic process blueprint for Texas, as The Post reports. Her website offers the latest in data collection features originally pioneered by Organizing for America and she did not denounce Battleground Texas when it came under investigation for potentially violating new voter protection laws. Lawsuits like brought by ACORN shell groups to dilute voter privacy protections with the goal of easing data mining efforts are not out of the question either.
Setting the long game for Texas aside, The Washington Post offered the final nail by backing the DGA’s move: “[Vermont Governor and DGA Chairman] Peter Shumlin is right.”
Follow Logan Churchwell on Twitter @LCChurchwell
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