Abbott cruises to victory for governor

AUSTIN – The $37 million state Sen. Wendy Davis raised this year wasn’t enough to overcome Attorney General Greg Abbott, Texas’ next governor.

Despite the fundraising total, Davis trailed Abbott financially and in the polls throughout the election cycle.

At 8 p.m., Abbott had hauled in 57 percent of the vote. Fox News called the hard-fought race as an Abbott victory.

Last year, Davis entered the national spotlight after filibustering a bill restricting abortion access, giving more liberal Texans hope a Democrat could be elected to a state office for the first time in two decades.

Davis, a Fort Worth trial lawyer, stayed financially competitive with Abbott throughout the race, thanks in part to rich Texas trial lawyers.

Davis received millions of dollars from Houston attorney Steve Mostyn and hundreds of thousands of dollars from Beaumont lawyer Walter Umphrey.

Reach David Yates at elections@legalnewsline.com