Wendy Davis wins grudge match against Mark Shelton

By Anna M. Tinsley

FORT WORTH -- Democrat state Sen. Wendy Davis kept her state Senate District 10 seat Tuesday, fending off a stiff challenge from Republican Mark Shelton in what became the state's nastiest and most expensive legislative race this year.

The race was a brawl from start to finish -- riddled with accusations, ethics challenges and more -- as Republicans lined up behind Shelton with the hope of retaking a seat that Davis wrested from the GOP four years ago. Democrats lined up behind Davis, whom they view as a rising star and a possible future statewide officeholder.

Davis, who ousted an entrenched Republican from this post in 2008, beat Shelton by more than 6,000 votes with all 349 precincts reporting.

She captured 51.1 percent of the vote to Shelton's 48.9 percent, according to unofficial election results posted on the Tarrant County Elections Center's website.

"It was a roller coaster," Davis told the media at a Tarrant County Democratic Party election watch party at the downtown Hilton hotel. "It was a really close race and I take my hat off to my opponent."

Standing with family, friends and backers, she thanked all those gathered at the party for their support.

"Here we are," Davis said. "But we've been together from the beginning, haven't we? The road might have been too far and too hard, but together, it hasn't been such a bad ride, has it?

"Hopefully, this shows that when you take care of your constituents, they will reward you by returning you to office."

Shelton conceded the race shortly after 11 p.m.

"This is a very close race, just as we knew it would be," he said. "We all knew this was going to be a very difficult race, we all knew it was going to be a very close race, and that's exactly what happened."

He said: "This is not the end. It's just the beginning. We'll see what happens next."

Heated fight

The battle between Davis and Shelton for state Senate District 10 -- which includes Fort Worth, Arlington, Mansfield, Colleyville, and other areas of south and Northeast Tarrant County -- quickly became one of the most-watched political fights in Texas.

It pitted the twice-divorced charismatic lawyer -- once a single mom living in a trailer park who worked her way through college and ultimately Harvard Law School -- against the married doctor and father of four who works at a children's hospital treating "the sickest of the sick" children.

"This isn't just a local Senate race," said Tom Marshall, a political science professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. "It's the only Senate race up in Texas.

"It's a big enchilada."

In 2008, in another fierce battle for this district, Davis -- an attorney and former Fort Worth City Council member -- unseated longtime Republican state Sen. Kim Brimer of Arlington. That loss for Republicans was not just embarrassing, Marshall said, but "humiliating."

Davis made her mark in the Texas Senate, picking up the "Rookie of the Year" title from Texas Monthly. During her second session, she drew national attention for staging a short filibuster to protest public education cuts and force a special session.

Party support

Last year, state lawmakers redrew this district to make it more Republican. Davis and others asked federal courts to intervene, which they did, weighing in this year and requiring district boundaries to stay the same as they were in 2008.

Republicans statewide began endorsing Shelton and dumping money into the race, as did Texans for Lawsuit Reform. Adding this seat to the GOP column would have bumped the number of Republican seats in the upper chamber to 20 -- moving the party one step closer to rendering impotent a longtime Senate rule that requires two-thirds of its members, 21 senators, to agree to bring a bill to the floor.

Republicans have a clear majority, but if all 12 Democrats unite in opposition to a bill, they can block any measure from a vote.

Shelton campaigned with a number of high-profile Republicans, including Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and U.S. Senate candidate Ted Cruz. And he picked up support from North Texas congressional leaders, including U.S. Reps. Kay Granger, Joe Barton, Michael Burgess and Kenny Marchant, not to mention a number of doctors and Republicans throughout the Metroplex.

Meanwhile, Democrats statewide stood behind Davis -- who was often in the middle of most major discussions in the Senate, offering legal analysis or advice. They began donating to her campaign, as did fellow attorneys and Annie's List, a Texas-based political action committee that recruits and funds female Democratic candidates.

Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa campaigned for Davis as he was running to head the state party.

Returning her to office "will allow her to come back as our senator from Fort Worth to take on these mean-spirited ... Republicans next session," he posted on his website.

She drew support from Democrats locally and statewide but also tapped into a variety of districtwide support. She proudly touted a late endorsement from former Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff, as well as support from businessmen Sid Bass, Rick Kubes and Dan Dipert.

It wasn't uncommon to see yard signs touting Mitt Romney's presidential bid next to a Wendy Davis for Senate sign.

Davis thanked her friends, family and supporters "for all that you did to make this win possible," she said. "What we've done really is build a community. ... We care about each other. We help each other. We fight for each other. ... That's how a community takes on a challenge."

Accusations fly

Shelton spent part of the campaign accusing Davis of various improprieties -- filing and refiling an ethics complaint alleging that she didn't disclose her business relationships with lobbyists, even asking the Travis County district attorney's public integrity unit to investigate "possible criminal activity."

Davis fired back that Shelton was trying to mislead voters so they didn't examine his legislative record, particularly passing a budget that used accounting gimmicks to falsely appear balanced. She criticized his lack of dedication to a variety of Texans, from schoolchildren to those needing medical care.

Both flooded the TV airwaves with attack ads.

Shelton filed a complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission, charging that Davis didn't disclose her business relationships with state lobbyists.

It was initially rejected for "legal and technical form requirements" so Shelton's staff made changes and resubmitted the complaint.

Shelton recently learned that the complaint was correctly filled out and met "technical form requirements."

The commission has yet to declare whether it will investigate the claim.

The soonest the full commission could weigh in on the complaint would be in late November.

Staff writers Scott Nishimura and Patrick M. Walker contributed to this report.

Anna M. Tinsley, 817-390-7610

Twitter: @annatinsley

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