On "Daily Show," Davis Says a Blue Texas is "On Its Way"

During an appearance on The Daily Show in Austin on Monday, state Sen. Wendy Davis, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, dismissed speculation that Texas is showing no signs of turning blue. 

Host Jon Stewart asked Davis about the "tough campaign" she has faced this year. Recent surveys, including the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll, have shown her trailing her Republican opponent, Attorney General Greg Abbott, by double digits.

"How conservative a place is Texas — and what is the demographic?" Stewart said. "We’ve heard a lot about 'it's flipping blue,' but it looks like it ain’t even flipping like a cool azure. What’s going on?"

Davis told Stewart that Texas "really is on its way."

"What we’ve suffered from here for quite a while is two decades of Republican-led redistricting that have created very purely drawn Republican districts and a few very purely drawn Democratic ones," Davis said. "So all of the conversations in elections take place during primaries. It was one of the reasons I was so committed to this race, making sure we were going to force into a general election a real conversation about the things that really mattered to people — and invite Texans to decide whether this Republican-led Legislature truly is reflective of the things that they care about.”

During the interview, Davis echoed several of the attacks she has aimed at Abbott throughout the campaign — including on issues like abortion, public education funding and the state's voter ID law.

Abbott "is defending what is of course intended to suppress vote," Davis said, referring to the voter ID law. "And the district court, after hearing a full trial on this issue, found that it was the modern day version of a poll tax — which it is.”

Abbott has called the district court's ruling "misguided." Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Texas could enforce its voter ID law for the November elections. 

The Comedy Central show is taping in Austin this week to cover the midterm elections. The program described Austin as "a city so liberal a guitar can marry a cowboy boot” and “the one part of Texas where [The Daily Show] won’t get shot at.”