Since springing into the national spotlight for her 11-hour filibuster in the Texas legislature, Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis has been framed as a strong Texas woman who beat the odds to obtain political and legal success. But the lines around Davis’ biography have been blurred as revelations about the Texas gubernatorial candidate’s past surfaced Saturday.
In an article published by The Dallas Morning News, key facts of Davis’ life have emerged, and they differ from the narrative peddled by the Texas Democrat and her supporters. The state senator has long portrayed herself as a teenage divorcee and single parent living in a mobile home, who later gained acceptance to Harvard Law School and rose to political stardom. But Davis’ story is full of exaggerations and complications.
“The basic elements of the narrative are true, but the full story of Davis’ life is more complicated, as often happens when public figures aim to define themselves,” The Dallas Morning News’ Wayne Slater writes. “In the shorthand version that has developed, some facts have been blurred.”
While testifying in a federal lawsuit over redistricting, Davis asserted that her first marriage to Frank Underwood ended when she was just 19 years old. The two had a child together, but after their marriage ended, Davis went to live in a mobile home park in Fort Worth.
However, the gubernatorial hopeful divorced Underwood when she was 21, not 19. And while she did live in a mobile home, it was only for a few months. Davis then went to live with her mother before she and daughter, Amber, moved into an apartment together.
According to Davis’ website, the Texas Democrat, who is well-known for her pro-choice stance, attended Tarrant County Community College for two years. She then transferred to Texas Christian University.
“With the help of academic scholarships and student loans, Wendy not only became the first person in her family to earn a bachelor’s degree, but graduated first in her class and was accepted to Harvard Law School,” her biography reads.
But Davis’ path to collegiate success isn’t so cut and dry. According to The Dallas Morning News, the young mother met Jeff Davis, a man 13 years her senior, while waiting tables at her father’s dinner theater, Stage West.
The two married after “two or three years” of dating, Jeff Davis said. It was during their courtship that Wendy Davis enrolled at TCU with the help of an academic scholarship and Pell Grants. But Jeff Davis funded her final two years at the school after they wed. After the future state senator received her acceptance to Harvard Law School, Jeff Davis dipped into his own 401(k) to pay for her to attend. Later, he took out a loan to pay for his wife’s final year there.
“I was making really good money then, well over six figures,” Jeff Davis told The Dallas Morning News. “But when you’ve got someone at Harvard, you’ve got bills to pay, you’ve got two small kids. The economy itself was marginal. You do what you have to do, no big deal.”
The couple’s two children stayed in Fort Worth during Wendy Davis’ tenure in Boston.
But Wendy and Jeff Davis’ marriage began to fall apart several years later, with Wendy Davis ultimately moving out of their house in November 2003 — right around the same time Jeff Davis made his final payment to Harvard.
“It was ironic,” he said. “I made the last payment, and it was the next day she left.”
Jeff Davis was granted custody of their daughters, and Wendy Davis was ordered to pay $1,200 a month in child support. In his divorce filing, Jeff Davis cited adultery on his wife’s part and irreconcilable differences.
The Texas state senator argues she contributed her fair share to the family.
“I was a vibrant part of contributing to our family finances from the time I graduated to the time we separated in 2003,” she told The Dallas Morning News. “The idea that suddenly there was this instantaneous departure after Jeff had partnered so beautifully with me in putting me through school is just absurd.”
Davis’ rags to riches story added much color to her 11-hour filibuster in June in which she opposed abortion restrictions. Since then, her campaign team has recited the story often to bolster support and boost fundraising efforts.
When discussing the discrepancies with The Dallas Morning News, Wendy Davis said she recognized the errors and blurred lines.
“My language should be tighter,” she said. “I’m learning about using broader, looser language. I need to be more focused in detail.”
In a statement to POLITICO, Davis said the disputed facts in The Dallas Morning News were based on attacks from her Republican gubernatorial opponent, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.
“We’re not surprised by Greg Abbott’s campaign attacks on the personal story of my life as a single mother who worked hard to get ahead,” Davis said. “But they won’t work, because my story is the story of millions of Texas women who know the strength it takes when you’re young, alone and a mother.”
A former colleague and political supporter of Wendy Davis’, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told The Dallas Morning News that the Democratic gubernatorial hopeful will stop at nothing to reach success, even if it comes at the expense of her family or children.
“She’s going to find a way, and she’s going to figure out a way to spin herself in a way that grabs at the heart strings,” he said. “A lot of it isn’t true about her, but that’s just us who knew her. But she’d be a good governor.”
