Texas State Sen. Wendy Davis (D) was always a long shot to become the Lone Star State's next governor, and a new PPP poll casts even more doubt on her odds of pulling a stunning upset.
In the survey, Davis trails Attorney General Greg Abbott (R) by a daunting 51 percent to 37 percent split. As if that weren't bad enough, Davis also trails Abbott among female respondents; 49 percent of women say they prefer Abbott, while 41 percent pick Davis. Meanwhile, only one-third of female respondents say they have a favorable impression of Davis.
Those findings are surprising given that Davis rose to national prominence by championing reproductive rights and staging a filibuster of a restrictive abortion bill. Indeed, when Davis first got in the race, many on the left were optimistic her sudden fame would help her at least run competitively, if not win.
Yet Davis' campaign was met not with resounding support, but rather with a little kerfuffle over how she'd embellished her biography. Perhaps as a result, 47 percent of voters view her unfavorably, up from just 29 percent in November.