GOP’s Greg Abbott defeats Wendy Davis for Texas governor

Texas Atty. Gen. Greg Abbott was elected governor Tuesday, maintaining the Republican Party’s grip on the office and staving off what at first appeared to be a formidable challenge from Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis.

Davis, 51, a lawyer from Fort Worth, drew national attention last year when she staged an 11-hour filibuster against an antiabortion bill. (The bill was eventually passed by the Republican-dominated Legislature.)

But Davis and the national Democratic groups that backed her failed to translate her celebrity and the state’s increasingly diverse demographics into votes. One group, Battleground Texas, was run by former Obama campaign organizers and a coalition of national Democrats.

The leader of the Texas Republican Party, Steve Munisteri, opened Abbott’s victory party in Austin on Tuesday night by proclaiming to loud applause, “We crushed the Democratic Party. We annihilated Battleground Texas!”

Munisteri was joined by outgoing Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Ted Cruz, who reveled in their party’s commanding victory in Texas – and its advances across the nation.

“There’s a whole lot of the country that’s looking to be a lot more like Texas tonight,” Perry said.

Cruz noted President Obama’s work as a community organizer while taking a slap at Battleground Texas. “Two years ago national Democrats declared that Texas was their target. Battleground Texas bragged they had put in place 22,000 community organizers. And we know the damage a community organizer can do. Liberal organizers flooded into this state.”

And in remarks tailored to a Texas crowd, Cruz said, “Give me a horse, a gun and the open plain, and we can conquer the world!”

Davis’ campaign had been repeatedly put on the defensive. She was forced to explain inconsistencies in her official biography and a recent attack ad that accused Abbott of denying others the same right to sue for damages he exercised after being left paralyzed while jogging through a Houston neighborhood in 1984.

Abbott, 56, had the added advantage of a well-developed Republican network of boosters statewide, as well as deep pockets.

Davis and her allies raised a remarkable amount for a Texas Democrat, more than $38 million, including high-profile out-of-state donors such as Steven Spielberg and Barbra Streisand. But her war chest was dwarfed by Abbott’s, which had more than $45 million.

With a slate of statewide offices up for grabs, Abbott’s win was expected to be part of a Republican sweep. George P. Bush, in his first bid for public office, was elected land commissioner. He is the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and the nephew and grandson of the former presidents.

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