The wheels may have come off Texas Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Wendy Davis' campaign with a video ad that uses an empty wheelchair to target Republican Greg Abbott, the Lone Star state's partially paralyzed attorney general.

The two pols are locked in a bitter struggle to succeed Gov. Rick Perry; the ad, which Davis unveiled Friday has attracted widespread criticism from everywhere except her campaign office.

Abbott, 56, has been a paraplegic since age 26 when he was paralyzed by a falling tree during a run. The Davis ad uses an empty wheelchair to symbolize her critique of his handling of victims' legal claims.

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Texas Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott's wheelchair is the centerpiece of an attack ad from his opponent for the governor's mansion, Democratic legislator Wendy Davis

Davis, a rising star in the Democratic Party, shot to fame with a 13-hour filibuster last year to protest legislation that restricted abortions

Republican Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has been a wheelchair-bound paraplegic since a tree fell on him during a run three decades ago

'A tree fell on Greg Abbott. He sued and got millions,' the ad's narrator says. 'Since then, he's spent his career working against other victims.'

'Abbott argued a woman whose leg was amputated was not disabled because she had an artificial limb,' the ad alleges. 'He ruled against a rape victim who sued a corporation for failing to do a background check on a sexual predator. He sided with a hospital that failed to stop a dangerous surgeon who paralyzed patients.'

Abbott's campaign fired at Davis, a state senator, with both barrels after the ad went viral for all the wrong reasons.

'It is challenging to find language strong enough to condemn Sen. Davis' disgusting television ad, which represents a historic low for someone seeking to represent Texans,' the campaign's deputy communications director, Amelia Chasse, said in a statement.

'Sen. Davis' ad shows a disturbing lack of judgment from a desperate politician,' she said, 'and completely disqualifies her from seeking higher office in Texas.'

Her campaign stood its ground, claiming the ad shows that 'after rightly seeking justice for himself, Greg Abbott turned around and spent his entire career denying that same kind of justice to other victims.'

The three most recent published polls show Abbott leading the race by an average of 11.3 percentage points, according to Real Clear Politics.

Davis stepped away from a backbench in the Texas legislature in 2013 when she spent 13 hours filibustering a law written to limit the number of clinics in the state that could perform abortions.

After she successfully ran out the clock on the legislative session, Gov. Perry called lawmakers back for a special session to pass the bill anyway.

The pink sneakers she wore during the marathon as supporters flooded the capitol rotunda became a rallying cry for the state's liberal minority, and she was quickly urged to run for governor.

A right-wing pundit labeled her 'Abortion Barbie' weeks later. That epithet has stuck.

It appeared on 20 posters that showed up in Hollywood, California in May when Davis traveled there to raise money.

A Republican donor paid for the posters, designed by street artist Sabo – the same anonymous man who created posters mocking Barack Obama and actress Gwyneth Paltrow this week when the president spoke a a fundraiser she hosted at her expansive Los Angeles home.

Lightning rod: Davis' May 2014 fundraising trip to California brought political jabs out of the woodwork, including this mocking poster

A star is born: Abortion rights activists packed the state capitol to congratulate Davis after her 13-hour filibuster

Online reactions ranged from the angry to the sarcastic, including this tweet

Journalists, usually impartial observers, got in on the act by mocking the Davis campaign's ad strategy

The wheelchair ad has attracted slings and arrows from both right and left.

Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski called it 'ridiculous.'

Fox News Channel co-host Bob Beckel, a liberal voice who managed the 1984 presidential campaign of Walter Mondale, offered some of the harshest words.

'This isn't a Hail Mary,' he said during a broadcast of 'The Five.'

'This is a Hail Mary to lose. This is like running the other way with the ball.'