Wendy Davis’ campaign has had its problems.
The revelation that her life story of personal struggle and triumph as a single mother was embellished was a game changer.
Her campaign has had a communications problem as well, playing media favorites and putting Davis on stage with a shotgun in a Dukakis-in-tank moment. The video of Davis’ supporters mocking Greg Abbott’s disability was cringe-worthy. Her flip-flop then flop-flip on late term abortion alienated her base, as did her endorsement of open carry.
All of this led the left-wing site Wonkette to issue a satirical appeal to readers, Let’s Help The Wendy Davis Campaign Stop Sucking So Hard. In that jest there is truth.
Perhaps more important, Davis has not been able to expand her appeal to pro-abortion feminists to women in general, much less men. The polling showing she’s losing the female vote has to be devastating news.
Now there’s the whiff of scandal, as reported by The Dallas Morning News, FBI probe of NTTA includes Wendy Davis file, Travis DA’s office says:
Documents related to Sen. Wendy Davis’ work as a lawyer for the North Texas Tollway Authority are part of an FBI inquiry of the agency, Travis County officials say.It’s not clear whether Davis’ work for the tollway authority is a focus of the FBI or only part of the material collected in connection with its look into tollway agency operations.The Travis County district attorney’s office said last month that details from its review of a 2012 complaint that a rival filed about Davis’ legal and political activities were “the subject of an open investigation” by the FBI. The district attorney’s office closed its review last year without taking any action.Davis, the Democratic nominee for governor, has said her legal work for the agency posed no conflicts with her legislative duties.Zac Petkanas, a Davis spokesman, said the FBI has not questioned her. He said Davis was told in August by her legal counsel that others were interested in the information gathered in the Travis County investigation, but she didn’t know it was the FBI until this month when contacted by The Dallas Morning News.“We are not aware that Wendy Davis is the subject or target of any investigation,” he said….Her work as a lawyer on land condemnation and delinquent toll collections for the tollway authority has come under scrutiny in the race. Both Davis and Abbott have emphasized ethics.Travis County prosecutors, in a March 24 letter, told the attorney general’s office that the FBI had informed them that release of files from the district attorney’s now-completed 2013 review of Davis’ legal work for the agency “would interfere with the FBI’s prosecution of the crime underlying the information.”The county’s letter came in response to The News’ open-records request for the files. The county cited several potential justifications for withholding the files, including the ongoing federal inquiry….The News reported last week that Davis had voted for a law governing a toll-road project for which the NTTA hired her firm to handle the condemnation. She also backed changes in collecting unpaid tolls that came before the NTTA hired law firms — including Davis’ — to carry out the collections. And as a state senator, she sought federal money for a transportation project being handled by her Fort Worth law firm.There’s no evidence that Davis’ legislative actions violated state or federal law. Under Texas’ relatively loose ethics rules, few lawmakers recuse themselves from voting on bills affecting their livelihoods.Davis told reporters Monday that her priority is the people in her district. “I am a fighter for my constituents,” she said.
Normally, that whiff of scandal would not be enough to derail a campaign. But coming on top of Davis’ other problems, it’s a distraction she doesn’t need.
Abbott’s campaign is hitting her on the issue:
How much longer will out of state interests keep funneling money to Davis?
With control of the U.S. Senate and various House seats on the line, will liberal activists keep spending good money after bad in the Texas Governor’s race.
Wendy Davis’ campaign is approaching a cliff, and it has its foot heavy on the pedal.
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