Watch Wendy Davis' brutal new attack ad

Democratic nominee Wendy Davis just premiered a brutal new ad in the Texas gubernatorial race, accusing Republican opponent Greg Abbott of having worked against the rights of plaintiffs and the disabled in the courts — despite having won a multi-million dollar settlement when an accident put him permanently in a wheelchair 30 years ago.
"A tree fell on Greg Abbott; he sued and got millions. Since then, he's spent his career working against other victims," the announcer says, before launching into examples of some less flattering rulings made in Abbott's career.
Abbott, who has been heavily favored to win the race in deeply Republican Texas, has previously run ads that invoked his disability. This included one emotional spot in which he spoke about physically training himself by climbing up through a parking garage, and another in which he pitched his transportation plan by saying, "a guy in a wheelchair can move faster than traffic on some roads in Texas."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Abbott has been a strong supporter of tort-reform efforts to limit punitive damages. He has maintained in the past that a person suffering a similar accident would still have access to the justice system — though other observers including his former lawyer, now a political critic, have disagreed. Watch the ad in full below. --Eric Kleefeld
Update: The Abbott campaign is hitting back, the Houston Chronicle reports, calling it a "historic low." Abbott spokeswoman Amelia Chasse said: "Sen. Davis' ad shows a disturbing lack of judgment from a desperate politician, and completely disqualifies her from seeking higher office in Texas."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
July 6 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include paying for school lunch by enlisting, and the banality of evil
-
5 biting editorial cartoons about 'Alligator Alcatraz'
Cartoons Artists take on dangerous green things, historical precedent, and more
-
A journey into the deep past on beautiful Arran
The Week Recommends New Unesco Global Geopark played a 'key role' in the birth of modern geological science
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami