Democratic Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis questioned whether her Republican opponent Greg Abbott, who is married to a Hispanic woman, would defend an interracial marriage ban as state attorney general.
Greg Abbott won't say whether he'd defend an interracial marriage ban—troubling but not surprising from someone who defends a "poll tax."
— Wendy Davis (@WendyDavisTexas) October 20, 2014
If Abbott is elected, his wife Cecilia Abbott would be the first Latina first lady of Texas. (RELATED: Even MSNBC Won’t Defend Wendy Davis Ad)
Davis seems to be referring to an interview Abbott gave with the editorial board of the San Antonio Express. (RELATED: Wendy Davis Uses Greg Abbott’s Wheelchair Against Him In New Ad)
“Right now, if there was a ban on interracial marriage, that’s already been ruled unconstitutional,” Abbott told the board. “And all I can do is deal with the issues that are before me … The job of an attorney general is to represent and defend in court the laws of their client, which is the state Legislature, unless and until a court strikes it down.”
Davis doubled down on Twitter about an hour later, posting a graphic with the same message.
Davis’ attempt to tie Abbott to 1960’s-era segregation policies comes a day after a front-page New York Times story reporting that that the African-American vote is the Democrats’ last hope for victory in the 2014 midterms. (RELATED: Wendy Davis Is Selling Baby Onesies)