Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, who rose to national fame overnight after her eleven-hour filibuster to fight Senate Bill 5, formally announced her candidacy for governor of Texas Thursday after a long period of widespread speculation.
Rumors have swirled around Davis’ candidacy since her filibuster rose to national attention on June 25. The bill, Senate Bill 5, would have increased restrictions on abortion clinics in Texas, requiring them to have the standards of a surgical health care facility, outlawed abortions after 20 weeks and required a doctor’s presence for abortion-inducing drugs.
Davis filibustered against the bill for eleven hours, and the image of her standing in a blue dress and pink tennis shoes flooded the front pages of news sources everywhere.
Davis is, as of this writing, the only Democrat running for the position. Her most significant opponent is Greg Abbott, a Republican and the Attorney General of Texas, who swept the September polls with 22 percent of the vote.
Texas has not had a Democratic governor since Ann Richards stepped down in 1995, and Davis has been called an “underdog” by news sources and Davis herself. Davis held an “online Day of Action” Friday in order to meet the $500,000 goal for her campaign. The goal was almost reached by the end of the day, with roughly $450,000 raised.
The gubernatorial election will take place November 4, 2014, with the winner taking office the following January.