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Wendy Davis Slammed For Wheelchair Attack Ad

Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis released an ad directly mentioning challenger Greg Abbott's paralysis, creating backlash from media outlets.
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Take a look at this new attack ad from Texas candidate for governor Wendy Davis. 

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

Davis's team has come out defending the ad, telling The Huffington Post it was supposed to show how her Republican opponent, Abbott, was rightfully compensated for his ordeal, yet denied that same right to other victims. 

But it's hitting Abbott on a touchy subject, as many media outlets point out. 

 

FOX NEWS ANCHOR TUCKER CARLSON: "They're trying to claim this is a legitimate point, we're getting him on hypocrisy, but if you look at the ad, there's only one message in the ad and that is Greg Abbott is crippled. He's in a wheelchair."

Conservatives especially are not happy with it. The right-wing Hot Air blog hated it even more than Lyndon Johnson's iconic "Daisy" ad that painted Barry Goldwater as a warmonger. (Video via the Democratic National Committee)

And while it may not come as a surprise that conservatives would take issue with the ad, more liberal publications like Mother Jones have also condemned it as "offensive and nasty."

Of course, Davis's campaign isn't alone in calling attention to Abbott's disability. Abbott himself did in a campaign ad released last month. 

In the ad, Abbott talks about how he was determined to get his strength back after he became paralyzed, spending hours rolling up the ramps of a parking garage.

ATTORNEY GENERAL GREG ABBOTT: "With each floor, it got harder and harder, but I wouldn't quit. Just one more, I'd tell myself, just one more. I see life that way."

With the election now less than a month away and Abbott leading in the polls, Wendy Davis' ad is being described as a last-ditch effort. 

The Washington Post called the ad a "Hail Mary" attempt at catching up to Abbott in these final weeks. 

Poll results released at the beginning of October showed Davis is trailing 11 percentage points behind Abbott. (Video via YouTube / Egberto Willies )

This video includes images from Getty Images.