Wendy Davis has released her first attack ad against Greg Abbott. The web ad features an interview with a rape victim who expresses shock that Ted Nugent, who has admitted having affairs with underage girls, appeared with Abbott on the campaign trail.
Jay Root
Jay Root is an award-winning journalist who reported for the Tribune from 2011 to 2020. He covered the dramatic collapse of Gov. Rick Perry’s 2012 presidential campaign and went on to write an ebook about it called “Oops! A Diary from the 2012 Campaign Trail.” Root also broke the story that put the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, on the path toward criminal indictment, co-wrote an exposé that brought an end to privately funded prosecutions in Travis County, and authored a series of watchdog articles that prompted a wave of firings and resignations at two major state agencies.
In 2017, Root co-directed “Beyond The Wall,” a film exploring border politics in the age of Trump, which won a national Edward R. Murrow award for best news documentary. Root’s latest film, “Border Hustle,” was released in early 2019 and reveals how desperate migrants have become cash cows on both sides of the border.
Previously, for a dozen years, Root was Austin bureau chief of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where he chronicled the rise of then-Gov. George W. Bush, wrote about cartel violence in Mexico and covered Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. During a three-year stint at the Associated Press, Root was twice named AP Staff Reporter of the Year for his watchdog reporting, including a story that sparked felony charges against a sitting state representative.
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Politics
Analysis: In Abbott World, Nugent Flap is Much Ado About Nothing
The way Democrats see it, Greg Abbott hurt himself by campaigning with caustic rocker Ted Nugent. In the Abbott camp, though, the Nuge blowback theory is another fiction spun by the liberal elites.
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Politics
Battleground Texas Fires Back at Critics
Battleground Texas, the Democratic group working to make the state politically competitive, wrote a letter to Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on Tuesday saying it has broken no laws.
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Politics
Abbott and Davis Both Claim Fundraising Success
Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis and a fundraising partner raised more money in the last month than the campaign of Attorney General Greg Abbott, but Abbott has nearly three times the cash on hand.
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Politics
Abbott Steps Away From Battleground Probe
UPDATED: Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office is recusing itself from any investigation of the Democratic group Battleground Texas, according to a letter obtained Friday by the Tribune.
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Politics
GOP Throws Time and Money Into Field Game
Although Republicans have dominated Texas politics over the last 20 years, GOP leaders have been preaching about the need for better minority outreach and updated technology.
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Politics
Stimulus Fund Allegations Spicing Up AG Contest
The campaigns for two GOP attorney general candidates — state Rep. Dan Branch and state Sen. Ken Paxton — are accusing each other of benefiting from President Obama’s 2009 stimulus package. Those are fighting words in a Texas GOP primary.
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Politics
Davis Corrects Omissions in Ethics Disclosures
State Sen. Wendy Davis has filed a corrected 2013 personal financial statement, and her campaign said the new filing corrected minor technical errors. The campaign of her likely gubernatorial opponent, Attorney General Greg Abbott, said the timing of the correction raises questions.
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Politics
Davis Says Abbott Should Settle School Finance Suit
Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis is calling on her likely Republican opponent in the governor’s race, Attorney General Greg Abbott, to quit defending the state’s school finance system and reach a settlement instead. Abbott said Davis was focused on the past.
Posted inState Government
Davis Takes Friendly Fire on Gun Issue
Sen. Wendy Davis has riled conservatives with talk of gun restrictions. But now she’s stirring controversy among fellow Democrats for embracing reforms that would allow Texans to openly carry handguns — even into the state Capitol.
