Wendy Davis (politician)

Wendy Davis
Member of the Texas Senate
from the 10th district
In office
January 9, 2009 – January 13, 2015
Preceded byKim Brimer
Succeeded byKonni Burton
Member of the Fort Worth City Council
from the 9th district
In office
May 1, 1999 – January 8, 2008
Preceded byCathy Hirt
Succeeded byJoel Burns
Personal details
Born
Wendy Jean Russell

(1963-05-16) May 16, 1963 (age 61)
West Warwick, Rhode Island, U.S.
Political party
Spouses
  • Frank Underwood
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1982; div. 1984)​
  • Jeff Davis
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1987; div. 2005)​
  • Alan Schoenbaum
    ​
    (m. 2019)​
    [1]
Children2
Education
Signature

Wendy Russell Davis[2] (born Wendy Jean Russell;[3] May 16, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician from Fort Worth, Texas. A member of the Democratic Party, Davis represented the 10th district in the Texas Senate from 2009 to 2015. She previously served on the Fort Worth City Council.

On June 25, 2013, Davis held a thirteen-hour-long filibuster to block Senate Bill 5, a measure which included more restrictive abortion regulations for Texas.[4] The filibuster played a major role in Senate Democrats' success in delaying passage of the bill beyond the midnight deadline for the end of the legislative session, though it ultimately passed in a second session. The filibuster brought Davis national attention, leading to speculation about a run for governor of Texas.[5] She subsequently ran for governor of Texas in 2014, but was defeated by Republican Party nominee Greg Abbott by 59% to 38%.[6]

On July 22, 2019, Davis announced she would run for Texas's 21st congressional district in 2020. She lost the election to Republican Chip Roy.[7]

  1. ^ Goldenstein, Taylor (October 20, 2019). "Congressional candidate Wendy Davis weds in San Antonio". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Newspapers. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  2. ^ Fikac, Peggy (October 28, 2013). "New voting law required Davis to affirm her identity". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  3. ^ County Clerk (January 24, 1982), Marriage Index, vol. 216, Tarrant County, Texas, p. 631{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ Ghahremani, Tanya (June 13, 2013), "Texas Senator Wendy Davis' 13-Hour Filibuster Successfully Beats Abortion Bill", Complex, retrieved April 10, 2018
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference politico071513 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Abbott Crushes Davis in GOP Sweep". The Texas Tribune. November 5, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  7. ^ Texas Election Results: 21st Congressional District, New York Times, November 4, 2020.