Wendy Davis and the Battleground for Texas

Wendy Davis’s looking to be the next governor in a state where straight-party ticketing trends high.

Recently, Texas has faced some pretty tough criticism on women’s issues. And gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis is looking to change that. While the conservative media has been proclaiming a desperate motivation, the Democrat’s slowly been gaining points in a Republican stronghold.

The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Enrique Rangel analyzes the political ticket and race in Texas. He feels that Texans “choose the easiest way to vote: straight-ticket voting, AKA straight-party voting” because a typical ballot this year /4/have 54 statewide candidates and up to 90 counting local.

#TeamWendy MT @PPTXVotes @WendyDavisTexas says the time of attacking TX women needs to come to an end! #WomenWinTX pic.twitter.com/v9gy6st3jl— Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) September 23, 2014

So does this effect Wendy Davis? “She would need to mobilize her party’s base to have a chance of pulling a major upset” against Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, her Republican opponent, in order to push for any chance of success.

Democrats are a minority in the Texas political sphere and the push for locking in early voters is important for the party. And unlike six states in the nation, straight-ticket voting is still an option for voters, so the push better be serious and worthwhile.

After making a splash in the 2013 national media by filibustering an anti-abortion for 11 hours in the Texas legislative chamber, the politician set her sights on a bigger platform to ensure Texas women had reproductive healthcare locally.

The 5th circuit court’s outrageous #HB2 decision leaves only one recourse: action at the ballot box. http://t.co/1eF9XrXTED— Wendy Davis (@WendyDavisTexas) October 3, 2014

In a state the size of Texas, a 200-mile trip to a clinic /4/not be feasible. She eventually lost the fight—but her name garnered a lot of attention and support both nationally and internationally. Suddenly, Wendy Davis was a name everyone knew.

In September, she spoke to TIME magazine about why she wrote this memoir.

Forgetting to Be Afraid wasn’t a political tool so much as a way to connect with other women and discuss how remain in charge of their destiny. When describing the struggles as single mom, she notes that thanks to being too busy trying to eke out a life, “I forgot to be afraid of doing it.”

We knew Wendy did a fantastic job and won the debate on Tuesday but here are some highlights with some silly gifs. http://t.co/Fc49Vp5K7L— Living Blue (@LivingBlueinTex) October 5, 2014

As far as mentioning the decision to move forward with two abortions based on medical complications, they weren’t added for shock but comradery. “My stand for reproductive rights in Texas was primarily motivated by my understanding of the harm that would come to women across our state if they were denied access to safe reproductive care.”

And the Texas Observer points out that Davis barely squeaked by in the 2008 and 2012 elections when turnout was high thanks to the presidential elections. But redistricting is forcing many more people to vote in midterm years, a time where Democrats falter. In an effort to combat the idea of defeat, Battleground Texas began in February 2013 with a lot of fanfare and part of that push came from Davis.

It’s 30 days till Election Day – with only 1 more day to register to vote. Are you registered? http://t.co/tYNFCi981n pic.twitter.com/4zNiawgbXR— Wendy Davis (@WendyDavisTexas) October 5, 2014

“Wendy Davis’ filibuster gave the Democrats what seemed like a viable shot at the governor’s mansion, so Battleground, which started as a long-term organizing project, wedded the group’s efforts to hers. Battleground handles the work in the field, and Davis’ campaign handles strategy and messaging.”

And setting up the Battleground around the Dallas—Fort Worth Metroplex, the Democrats are hoping to motivate and push the large area to help keep the party in the game. And Davis needs the momentum to oust Abbott in an effort to protect the women of the state.

Battleground Texas, the Democrats and the Republicans are all reminding people that voter registration for the Nov. 4 election ends on Monday, Oct. 6. Early voting will last from Oct. 20 through Halloween, Oct. 31.