Although some don’t agree with her politics, most would agree that Wendy Davis has spunk. She has risen above obstacles that have stymied so many others and has become an example of dedication, spirit, and the desire to serve. If we all fought as valiantly for what is right and just, imagine the world we could create. The following article is from the December 26, 2013 edition of The Dallas Morning News.
Wendy Davis’ path to prominence started long before the pink sneakers. But the Democratic state senator’s Mizunos will long be linked to her identity. The Fort Worth legislator stood in them for 11 hours on June 25, filibustering legislation she argued would unfairly limit Texas women’s right to an abortion.
As she spoke, the Texas Capitol rapidly swelled with supporters. The Senate gallery overflowed as her protest continued. For a moment, while a lone senator stood her ground, the scene in the chamber resembled a Hollywood script.
Except she was not on a movie set. The Harvard-trained lawyer was in the midst of the sharpest of political debates. Her oratory galvanized a portion of the Texas electorate that had been hungering for dynamic leadership. Suddenly many Democrats no longer felt like they belonged to the party of lost causes. That came all because Davis seized the moment and microphone, earning her a berth among finalists for 2013 Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year.
Davis’ talk-a-thon may have brought the bill down as a special session of the Legislature ran into its final hours. But her ad-libbing and scripted readings didn’t kill the measure. Republicans rallied in a follow-up special session to pass the legislation, which, among other changes, requires doctors who perform abortions to get hospital admitting privileges, a restriction critics said would doom many clinics.
GOP lawmakers may have won on the policy side, but Davis’ star rose — and rose and rose. The one-time Fort Worth city council member became the topic of stories from Washington to New York, Los Angeles and London. Camera crews came calling, and Davis was thrust into one of those spotlights that transform a political figure into a household name.
“Her filibuster was calculated,” says Austin political consultant Bill Miller. “But it was not built around statewide ambitions. She did not know how this would transform her.”
Of course, the most important headlines would follow in Texas. Suddenly, Davis catapulted from being one of 31 state senators to Democratic candidate for governor.
Texas remains strongly Republican, but Democrats feel they have the best gubernatorial candidate since Ann Richards. Davis, 50, combines star power with a compelling personal narrative.
Her mother had a sixth-grade education, and Davis herself was a teenage mother by 19. At one point she lived in a trailer park with her young daughter. Her horizons were limited until she enrolled in Tarrant County’s community college district, then at Texas Christian University, where she finished first in her class. She went on to Harvard Law School, graduating with honors.
Her personal story might have gone unheralded had it not been for her filibuster. Texans now are about to hear much more about Wendy Davis over the next year. Whether her new celebrity helps her win the governorship in 2014 is another question. But this summer’s strategic moment of defiance energized Texas Democrats and launched a new Texas political star.
We believe her willingness to endure for the sake of others might also have inspired others to follow her lead.