A new ad by Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis’s (D) gubernatorial campaign hits Attorney General Greg Abbott, her Republican opponent, for not doing enough to help disabled victims even though after Abbott himself was paralyzed he sued the homeowner and a tree company connected to the oak tree that caused his paralysis.
“A tree fell on Greg Abbott. He sued and got millions. Since then he spent his career working against other victims,” the voiceover in the ad said. “Abbott argued a woman whose leg was amputated was not disabled because she had an artificial limb. He ruled against a rape victim who sued a corporation for failing to do a background check on a sexual predator. He sided with a hospital that failed to stop a dangerous surgeon who paralyzed patients.”
“Greg Abbott. He’s not for you,” the voiceover in the ad said.
Abbott was paralyzed by a falling oak tree in 1984.
The ad, “Justice,” is the latest of a series of aggressive attack ads by Davis’s campaign hitting Abbott over his legal background. The first TV ad by the Davis campaign hit Abbott for siding against a rape victim in a liability case that went before the Texas Supreme Court in 1998.
When asked if this may factor into how viewers may perceive the ad, the Campaign responded that the ad clearly focused on on the other victims, not Abbott’s paralysis.
“This ad focuses on the fact that Greg Abbott rightly sought justice for himself, following a horrible accident,” Davis spokeswoman Lauren Weiner said in a statement. “And then spent his career denying that same justice to other victims, like when he said an amputee shouldn’t be considered disabled because she had an artificial limb.”
Watch the ad below:
The TPM Polltracker average finds Abbott with a 10.3 point lead over Davis.
