Fort Worth State Sen. Wendy Davis won…well, O.K., she lost the Nov. 4 gubernatorial election to Republican Greg Abbott, but she did win Texas Monthly magazine’s annual “Bum Steer of the Year” award for her campaign. The cover for the issue uses an illustration that depicts Davis stepping in a cow patty while wearing those filibuster-famous bright pink Mizuno “Wave Rider” sneakers. It was that 2013 filibuster against abortion restrictions in the state that sent Davis soaring into the political stratosphere.
While riding a wave of support and positive press for her filibuster, Davis announced her candidacy, along with a new push to turn Texas “blue.” Yet, when the campaign ended, the spread between Republican candidate and Attorney General Greg Abbott and Davis exceeded 20 points, greater than the split between Republican Gov. Rick Perry and Democrat Bill White four years earlier. While Davis received the big award that has previously been won by Gov. Rick Perry, Lance Armstrong, Anna Nicole Smith and Tom Delay, other Texas politicians were not immune from some harsh words including former winner Perry. The magazine took note of his indictment on allegations that he abused his office. Other politicians got some flack too, but, the magazine notes, “Nothing and we mean nothing, could match the train wreck that was Wendy Davis, Battleground Texas, and the Democrats.”