With the filing deadline for candidates now officially in the rearview mirror, Gov. Greg Abbott has made a shocking announcement, endorsing openly pro-abortion State Rep. Sarah Davis (R–West University Place) for re-election.

In a press release on Tuesday morning, Abbott praised Davis for her “dedication to the people of Texas,” adding that he was “proud” to endorse her for re-election to the Texas House.

“State Representative Sarah Davis advocates for the needs and priorities of her constituents,” said Abbott. “And while we haven’t always seen eye to eye, we share the same commitment to bring people together to solve problems and improve the lives of all Texans.”

“The lives of all Texans” that Abbott mentions, however, clearly doesn’t refer to the lives of unborn children. Davis is unabashedly pro-abortion, even caucusing with Democrat lawmakers in secret meetings during debates over pro-life legislation and going on MSNBC to advocate for more lax abortion laws. Her record and advocacy for the practice have earned her accolades from groups like Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion Rights Action League.

Just two years ago, Abbott earned praise from conservatives across the state for his endorsement against Sarah Davis after he compared her to Wendy Davis, a national pro-abortion figure and his former Democrat opponent.

“She’s not really a Republican, but she has a ‘Republican’ by her name,” Abbott said at a fundraiser in January 2018. “It won’t surprise you to know The Huffington Post came out and glowingly compared her to Wendy Davis. We have beat Wendy Davis before. We cannot allow another Wendy Davis look-alike in the Texas House.”

Davis is not only a liberal on the issue of life; she has often sided with Democrats against conservatives in the Texas Legislature. During the last legislative session alone, Davis worked to grow government spending, increase the ability of local governments to raise taxes, and even teamed up with Democrats to kill a proposed ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying.

In fact, Davis’ record on the Fiscal Responsibility Index is worse than some Democrat members, earning a dismal score of 30 after the recent legislative session.

In 2018, Abbott chose to thwart the establishment and crony wings of the Texas GOP with his endorsements, but in the legislative session that followed, he partnered with them and moved to stop conservatives from enacting reform. He has continued that trend this election cycle.

Few Texans should walk away from this development with the belief that Abbott truly supports Sarah Davis and her advocacy for abortion. But with the governor’s record last session and his rhetoric thus far in this election, he has made it clear that he’s more interested in protecting the creatures of the Austin sewer than enacting pro-life laws or other conservative reforms.

Brandon Waltens

Brandon serves as the Senior Editor for Texas Scorecard. After managing successful campaigns for top conservative legislators and serving as a Chief of Staff in the Texas Capitol, Brandon moved outside the dome in order to shine a spotlight on conservative victories and establishment corruption in Austin. @bwaltens

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