The liberal journalists at MSNBC have been quite enamored with Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis, constantly promoting her Democratic campaign. Yet, a new poll showing her trailing by 14 points has gone unmentioned on the network. Even more interesting, Republican candidate Greg Abbott is beating Davis even among women, 49-41. The Public Policy Polling survey was released on Tuesday. Also, it should be pointed out, PPP is a Democratic polling firm.
In the past, MSNBC hosts have attempted to spin bad news for Davis. In January, Andrea Mitchell gently explained, "[She's] being forced to answer media reports down there that she had slightly altered her resume." In July of 2013, the journalist became one of her early cheerleaders, prompting, "Are you thinking about statewide office? Are you thinking about running for Governor?"
On January 21, 2014, Chris Jansing defended the innacuricies in Davis's biography: "… Could it just be she misremembered and when she went back and really looked at the facts -- sometimes I can't remember how old I am right now."
On October 7, 2013, Chris Hayes enthused, "But a Wendy Davis candidacy is more than just good politics for Democrats. It's literally a matter of life or death for many Texans."
Regarding the bad news for Davis, The Week summerized:
Texas State Sen. Wendy Davis (D) was always a long shot to become the Lone Star State's next governor, and a new PPP poll casts even more doubt on her odds of pulling a stunning upset.
In the survey, Davis trails Attorney General Greg Abbott (R) by a daunting 51 percent to 37 percent split. As if that weren't bad enough, Davis also trails Abbott among female respondents; 49 percent of women say they prefer Abbott, while 41 percent pick Davis. Meanwhile, only one-third of female respondents say they have a favorable impression of Davis.
Those findings are surprising given that Davis rose to national prominence by championing reproductive rights and staging a filibuster of a restrictive abortion bill. Indeed, when Davis first got in the race, many on the left were optimistic her sudden fame would help her at least run competitively, if not win.
If Davis fails badly in the election, it's unlikely MSNBC hosts will take responsibility, despite being some of her strongest supporters.
