State Sen. Wendy Davis picked up an endorsement Tuesday from the Texas Academy of Family Physicians.
Davis, D-Fort Worth, faces a challenge from Republican state Rep. Mark Shelton of Fort Worth, a pediatrician, in her bid to win a second term in Senate District 10."Sen. Davis has championed access to healthcare and growing our physician workforce because she understands that a healthy Texas means a healthy and competitive economy," said Dr. Joane Baumer, an academy member and a Fort Worth doctor."Family physicians are supporting Sen. Wendy Davis because she has been a steadfast advocate for doctors and for all patients."The academy is the state's largest physician specialty organization.Shelton is trying to win back for his party the seat that Kim Brimer of Arlington represented until Davis defeated him in 2008. In that race, she earned 49.91 percent of the vote to Brimer's 47.52 percent and Libertarian Richard A. Cross' 2.56 percent, election records show."It's no surprise that special-interest groups supporting Obamacare support Davis," Shelton said. "The Texas Academy of Family Physicians endorsed Obamacare. Davis supports Obamacare."Shelton said a poll this year showed that voters in the district oppose the nation's new healthcare system. "As a 24-year pediatrician, I and a majority of other primary-care physicians know firsthand that Obamacare is bad medicine for Texas families," he said.Academy officials say the group has never endorsed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but they noted that members have worked to explain how measures in the law affect doctors and patients.Anna M. Tinsley, 817-390-7610Twitter: @annatinsleyHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
