In perhaps a last-ditch effort to turn her campaign around, Wendy Davis is replacing her campaign manager, as her poll numbers sink and election day nears.
The Texas Senator and gubernatorial candidate, who is in an uphill battle against Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott, informed the media Wednesday that her campaign manager Karin Johanson has been replaced with Texas political veteran, Chris Turner.
“After building one of the most competitive campaign organizations Texas has seen in decades, Karin Johanson has let me know that she believes it’s time to hand off the reins of the campaign management for our final push toward election day,” Davis said in a release.
“Together, we knew immediately the right partner for the rest of this journey toward our victory on Election Day: Chris Turner.”
Johanson took credit for the decision in a farewell email.
“A few weeks ago I suggested to Sen. Davis that she reach out to Rep. Chris Turner to lead the campaign to election day. Chris has managed tough Texas races and as member of the Texas House is respected across the state for his smarts and common sense,” Johanson wrote in an email to the campaign staff, which was forwarded to msnbc by the campaign. “I am proud of what we have all built in this campaign…We have raised more money, have more donors (133,600) and have more volunteers (18,222) than any candidate ever in Texas. We have raised more money than any non-incumbent candidate for Governor in the country. We are organizing voters in every region of the state.” Though Johanson was a D.C.-based consultant who helped get Tammy Baldwin elected in Wisconsin and spent decades working Democratic politics and with EMILY’s List, Turner is a seasoned Texas consultant and Democratic state representative. Abbott has been polling roughly 12 points ahead of Davis, according to Real Clear Politics’ average, and Davis’s campaign struggles to close the gap. Politico reports that Davis wanted Turner to run her campaign initially, but went with Johanson when he wasn’t available.
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