AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Former state senator and failed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis is formally endorsing Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential bid.
Davis has already praised Clinton in previous emails, but will make her support official Wednesday evening at an Austin coffee and wine bar. Also endorsing Clinton at the same event will be Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt.
Davis became a national sensation in 2013, when she used a 12-plus-hour Senate filibuster to temporarily block passage of tough new statewide abortion restrictions. The GOP-controlled Legislature overwhelmingly approved the bill in a subsequent special session.
Republican Greg Abbott beat Davis by more than 20 percentage points in last year’s governor’s race.
Republican National Committee spokeswoman Ruth Guerra said in a statement that Clinton could learn from Davis that the “‘war on women’ playbook doesn’t work, especially in Texas.