New Wendy Davis TV Ad, "Justice"

_{* Editor's note: This post has been updated throughout.}

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis contrasts the legal settlement obtained by her Republican opponent, Greg Abbott, after his paralyzing accident with positions taken against victims' claims in other cases.

"A tree fell on Greg Abbott. He sued and got millions," the voiceover on the ad begins. "Since then, he's spent his career working against other victims."

It is the latest in a series of attack ads from the Davis campaign intended to drive up the negatives on the front-runner in the race for the Governor's Mansion. Early voting begins in 10 days for the Nov. 4 general election.

Reviews of the ad, which begins with a shot of an empty wheelchair, were quick to arrive. And they are not good, in the sense that commentators are wondering whether Davis is pushing her own negatives up with this ad rather than those of Abbott.

Wendy Davis is running one of the nastiest campaign ads you will ever see. http://t.co/fVkqa4zqwh pic.twitter.com/DvgqBi8DPo

— Chris Cillizza (@TheFix) October 10, 2014

Re the new @WendyDavisTexas ad: It's mean-spirited and misleading. Does not correspond to my sense of justice.

— EricaGrieder (@EricaGrieder) October 10, 2014

At this point, Davis should be trying to lose by 5 and not by >10 and that ad doesn't seem to be consistent with that strategy

— Christopher Hooks (@cd_hooks) October 10, 2014

An Abbott campaign spokeswoman responded this way:

"It is challenging to find language strong enough to condemn Sen. Davis’ disgusting television ad, which represents a historic low for someone seeking to represent Texans. Sen. Davis’ ad shows a disturbing lack of judgment from a desperate politician, and completely disqualifies her from seeking higher office in Texas."

The Davis campaign later defended their handling of Abbott's paralysis in the ad. Davis spokeswoman Lauren Weiner gave a statement to Talking Points Memo saying, "This ad focuses on the fact that Greg Abbott rightly sought justice for himself, following a horrible accident. And then spent his career denying that same justice to other victims, like when he said an amputee shouldn't be considered disabled because she had an artificial limb."