Davis faces an uphill battle in the red state’s race for governor. Davis gets new campaign manager

Respected Democratic political operative Karin Johanson is out as campaign manager for Wendy Davis’ Texas gubernatorial bid.

She will be replaced by state Rep. Chris Turner, a veteran of Texas politics, in a campaign shakeup that the players portrayed as amicable.


“After building one of the most competitive campaign organizations Texas has seen in decades, Karin Johanson has let me know that she believes it’s time to hand off the reins of the campaign management for our final push toward election day,” Davis said in a statement. “Together, we knew immediately the right partner for the rest of this journey toward our victory on Election Day: Chris Turner.”

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Davis faces an uphill battle against state Attorney General Greg Abbott in the red state’s race for governor.

Turner was Davis’ first choice to manage her bid, said someone close to the campaign, but was initially unavailable due to timing with the legislative session. Washington Democrats had been excited about Johanson, who they saw as an experienced hand who lent credibility to the campaign.

“Wendy got the benefit of Karin’s skill and experience in creating a strong structure and will now benefit from Chris’ practical skills, experience and talent in understanding and winning tough races in Texas,” the source said.

Johanson suggested that Davis transition to Turner “a few weeks ago,” she said in an email to the staff on Wednesday that a spokeswoman shared with reporters. The announcement was made to senior staff on Wednesday morning, said another source familiar with the campaign.

“If you are a betting person, put your money on Wendy,” Johanson wrote. “Now I’m going to go home and spend some time this summer with my 90-year old father and lose the pounds I gained from eating tacos for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But even from the sidelines I will still #StandWithWendy.” The hashtag is a reference to Davis’ filibuster against an abortion-restrictions bill in the state Senate last summer, which helped propel her to the gubernatorial bid.

Davis reshuffled her communications staff earlier this year, replacing chief spokesman Bo Delp with Zac Petkanas, a former aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. She also added a rapid-response director, Lauren Weiner from the Washington-based Americans United for Change, in April.

Elizabeth Titus contributed to this report.