Wendy Davis Accuses Greg Abbott of Being Involved in CPRIT Scandal

[Megan Chambers]

     In chapter seven of Neal Tannahill's textbook Texas Government, Policy and Politics, election campaigns are discussed on page 161. Currently, candidates are campaigning for governor of Texas. Recently, Democratic candidate Wendy Davis accused Republican Greg Abbott of being involved in the CPRIT scandal that occurred two years ago.

     Davis claims that some of Greg Abbott's donors were receiving money from the CPRIT that was unlawfully obtained  She had a video released of four women cancer survivors who say that Abbott cared more about getting money for his campaign for attorney general than he cared about helping to cure cancer. Abbott denies such accusations, and his response shows great offense having just lost a brother-in-law to cancer.

     I chose this article because I am very interested in election campaigns and the strategies candidates use against one another. This new scheme against Greg Abbott that Wendy Davis has brought about seems desperate to me. Abbott's response makes it very evident that the accusations were not true. In the article, everything Davis said about him was easily disproved.

     If I were Davis' advisors, I would address this problem by thinking of some other more believable way of giving Abbott a bad name. This strategy of theirs only makes voters like me turn away from Davis because it is so easily combatted by the Abbott campaign. My faith tells me that honesty and integrity are two very important things. It is never good to plot against someone else for one's personal gain, and it seems like this is exactly what Davis is doing.     

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/in-new-attack-wendy-davis-links-...

[Matthew Dewhirst]

Great perspective Megan! I agree with you that Wendy Davis’ attempts to discredit Greg Abbott are little more than last ditch attempts to sway on-the-fence voters. Anyone who truly knows Abbot’s campaign platform knows that the actions he is accused of are just that, accusations. Abbot however, is guilty of the same type of behavior. The Abbot-Davis campaign was one of the dirtiest elections in Texas history. I abstained from voting in this election due to the frustration each of these candidates caused me with their constant attack ads and negativity. It is interesting that politics seems to be drifting further and further away from policy and we are becoming more focused on mud-slinging and scandals.