| The election of Wendy Davis to Senate District 10 in 2008 was a big deal to the Democratic caucus. Our 12th Senator, she gave us an extra vote to block Republicans in the Senate, where they need 2/3rds of the 31 members to suspend the rules and pass legislation.
Now, after a brutal redistricting battle in which Republicans hacked apart her Fort Worth district in an effort to prevent Davis from being re-elected, the maps have restored SD-10 to its basic 2008 incarnation. Davis won that district, unseating Republican Kim Brimer, with 49.92% of the vote in 2008, buoyed by historic turnout in the presidential race. Davis will have another serious campaign to run this cycle, and she's going to need all of our help to spread the word about her accomplishments in her first term.
It will be a challenging campaign, but Wendy Davis is plenty tough, as she exhibited at the end of last session with her late night filibuster of a school finance plan that underfunded public schools by $4 billion. Her rally to block the bad bill and force Rick Perry to call a special session was a shot in the arm to Democrats, who had watched Republicans try to essentially destroy Texas throughout the year.
Probably my favorite story about Davis' temerity happened when Senator Wentworth tried to play "chicken" with Davis, threatening to pull his Guns on Campus bill up for a vote if she left the chamber for her daughter's high school graduation. Davis refused to leave, so a Republican Senator said he would change his vote and block the bill in her absence so she wouldn't miss out on an important day for her family.
In any case, returning Wendy Davis to the upper chamber is a top priority for Democrats this cycle. Her Senate district is arguably the only one that isn't painfully safe for an incumbent Democrat. So it's great to see her 11 colleagues and Annie's list teaming up to make sure she has the resources necessary to run a strong campaign for SD-10. Davis will absolutely have a Republican challenger; the only question yet to be determined is how extreme and out-of-touch that Republican is with the people of Texas.
We don't usually like to be little more than a community calendar for fundraisers and events, but this event is important simply because Wendy Davis is so important. We need her leadership, her voice, and her work to prevent draconian budget cuts to social services, public education, and anything else our state provides that constitutes the fabric of society.
If you are able, please join our Democratic Senate caucus and Annie's List on Wednesday at Lambert's as we get a jump on re-electing this crucial leader.
Fundraiser in Support of Senator Wendy Davis
Hosted by the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus and Annie's List
Wednesday, December 7th, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Lambert's
401 West 2nd Street, Austin, TX
The invitation is below the jump. |
