Exclusive: Abbott responds to Davis ad; her choice to 'attack a guy in a wheelchair'

SAN ANTONIO — Hours after Democrat Wendy Davis attacked Republican Greg Abbott in a new television ad for not siding with victims like himself, Abbott hit back accusing her of attacking "a guy in a wheelchair."

The 30-second ad, which the Davis campaign said Friday would start running across the state, drew a swift rebuke from Abbott's campaign, which called it "disgusting" and "desperate."



"It's offensive ... It shows the tenor of the campaign," Abbott said during an exclusive interview with the San Antonio Express- News. "If you look at my ads, I focused on what I'm going to be doing as governor, and my opponent spends all her time in ads attacking me, as I'm attacking the challenges that fellow Texans deal with."



Abbott, the state attorney general, lost the use of his legs after his spine was crushed when a tree fell on him while jogging in 1984.

"It's her choice if she wants to attack a guy in a wheelchair. I don't think it's going to sell too well," Abbott added.

Abbott's own ads have drawn attention to his disability, most notably in spots in which he talks about his recovery and uses the chair to roll past cars stuck in bad traffic.

But the Davis ad is the first by the Democrat to address it and comes in the final three weeks before the election.



Titled "Justice," the ad notes that Abbott sued after his accident and collected millions. Then it criticizes Abbott as working against victims in other disability cases. In one case, Abbott argued that an amputee suing for employment discrimination was not disabled because she had a prosthetic limb.



"Greg Abbott. He's not for you," a narrator says.



Two other cases cited by the new ad have already been the subject of previous Davis campaign spots.



"It is challenging to find language strong enough to condemn Sen. Davis' disgusting television ad," Abbott campaign spokeswoman Amelia Chasse said. "Sen. Davis' ad shows a disturbing lack of judgment from a desperate politician, and completely disqualifies her from seeking higher office in Texas."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis is using Republican opponent Greg Abbott’s disability against him in a new TV ad, accusing the attorney general of repeatedly siding against victims like himself. less Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis is using Republican opponent Greg Abbott’s disability against him in a new TV ad, accusing the attorney general of repeatedly siding against victims like ... more Image 1 of / 56 Caption Close Exclusive: Abbott responds to Davis ad; her choice to 'attack a guy in a wheelchair' 1 / 56 Back to Gallery

jgonzalez@express-news.net

Twitter: @johnwgonzalez