WASHINGTON -- Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) hinted Monday morning that she might be interested in running for governor.
After the senator's 11-hour filibuster over abortion rights last week made her a national hero and an instant icon for women's rights in Texas, speculation has been rampant over her next move. It could be a run for governor: Davis told NBC News Monday that she is taking a "second look" at the 2014 gubernatorial race.
Davis' stand last week helped -- at least temporarily -- defeat an abortion bill that would have closed down all but five abortion clinics across Texas and severely curtailed access to the services. That bill followed a law that passed out of the last legislative session, requiring women to get a sonogram before having an abortion. Davis galvanized voters not just with her filibuster but with her own personal story of raising two children as a single mother. Gov. Rick Perry (R) used her background to attack her.
Davis told The Huffington Post on Sunday that the big difference between what she went through and what other women are going through now is the politics. "Back then the Texas I was living in was not a Texas where this issue had become a political football," Davis said. "I never ever had to worry that I couldn't go to the Planned Parenthood clinic here in Fort Worth and access my family planning services. I did that for years. They were my only source of healthcare. No one was ever standing at the bully pulpit in the political arena trying to stop that from happening."
So far at least, Davis has been shy about her own political future. She recently told the Star-Telegram that didn't know what her plans might be. “I’m very focused on making sure that [my] district is well-represented going forward,” she said.
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