More evidence that Wendy Davis’ epic abortion filibuster has helped turn her into a rising Democratic star with a nationwide profile: The Texas state senator drew a crowd of political heavy-weights to a Washington, D.C., fundraiser Thursday.
Democratic Sens. Barbara Boxer, Richard Blumenthal, Amy Klobuchar, Mazie Hirono, and Patty Murray, who chairs the party’s Senate campaign committee, all showed up at the $500-a-head Capitol Hill event, according to The Houston Chronicle. So too did Pete Gallego, Marc Veasey, and Sheila Jackson Lee, all Democratic members of Congress from Texas.
Davis has publicly mulled a run for governor next year. Jackson Lee told the paper that Davis “did not announce anything,” at the event but “spent a lot of time thanking people and expressing her confidence in Texas, how much she loved Texas.”
Davis gained a national profile last month when she stood and spoke for over 13 hours on the floor of the state Senate to filibuster a strict abortion bill pushed by Republicans. The bill eventually passed in a special legislative session called by Gov. Rick Perry, but Davis’ stand helped energize once-demoralized Texas progressives. Davis also has helped lead the fight against a GOP redistricting plan that a federal court found intentionally discriminated against blacks and Latinos. The Justice Department Thursday filed suit in the case, seeking to have the state put back under a system of federal pre-clearance.
Zachary Roth Recommended
