State Senator Wendy Davis accepts Texas Democratic Party’s Nomination for Governor

As Prepared for Delivery

To Chairman Hinojosa, to my esteemed colleague, Senator West, and to all the people of this great state, with the deepest pride and humility, I accept your nomination as the Democratic nominee to be the next Governor of Texas.

And unlike Greg Abbott, I’m not afraid to share the stage with my party’s nominee for Lt. Governor…my colleague…mi err-ma-nah…Leticia Van de Putte!

Don’t clap too much or Greg Abbott will sue you.

He says he goes to work, sues the federal government and goes home. He’s so proud of it. But what Greg Abbott doesn’t say is that our judges go to work, they rule against him and the people win.

He’s lost four times in just the past few days. If he were your lawyer, you’d fire him on the spot. Oh…wait … he is your lawyer and we are going to fire him on November 4, 2014.

I am honored to be here with you tonight. I am honored to be your candidate. Amber and Dru, I am so proud to be your mom. And for every single moment in my life, good or bad, I am grateful because the sum of all of them is a reflection of my love for you both.

And all over this great state, mothers and fathers, caretakers, grandparents, uncles and aunts feel that same unconditional love, day in and day out, hell or high water kind of love for their children, and they just want to build a better life for them than the one they had – a life that surpasses even the dreams they’d envisioned for themselves.

All over this state, our volunteers are knocking on the doors of Texans who’ve been praying for an answer to how they’ll make their check stretch just one more day, who know what it’s like to raise a child on their own, who know what it’s like to get home from work from a second job, only to find that their power’s been shut off because they couldn’t pay the bill; people who know what it’s like to face hard decisions and long odds but keep fighting anyway because they’ll do anything to give their family a better future and do their part for the Texas we all love.

All over this state, business leaders are saying, “We need more skilled workers” and workers are saying, “We need more good-paying jobs.”

All over this state, Democrats who haven’t voted in over a decade, Republicans who’ve never supported anyone outside their party until now, Independents and nonpartisans who’ve grown disenchanted with allegiance to party over concern for hardworking people are coming together with common hopes and shared purpose because in this election they see the promise of opportunity for all Texans, regardless of age, regardless of race, regardless of gender, regardless of sexual orientation.

In this election, they see the promise of a state where a much loved mother, sister, wife, or grandmother, can have access to a doctor.

In this election, they see the dream, the hope, the promise of Texas – for what it is, for all it can be and for what it should be.

I see it, too. I believe in that promise, and that’s why I’m running for Governor. That’s why I’m here tonight.

Texas has come a long way. But today, 14 years into this new century, I believe we’re at a turning point. And this election will determine whether the Texas of Tomorrow will work for all hardworking Texans and all Texas communities or whether it’ll be held back by the old ways of the good-old-boy network that has simply taken us as far as it can.

It’s about time we had a governor who fights hard for all hardworking Texans. And I’m running for governor to make sure that the Texas of Tomorrow leads America forward.

I believe that only when we have a governor who fights for all hardworking Texans can we truly create the 21st century education that all our children need and deserve – not just some.

I believe that only when we have a governor who fights for our economy can we truly create the good-paying jobs of tomorrow.

Even as I’m standing before you tonight, I know we’ll be fighting side by side this day and every day until we have a voice in the Governor’s mansion. But right now, it’s also important for us to remember the hardworking Texans who are heading in for their night shifts at the local plant;

Who are tucking in their sons and daughters with sweet lullabies like the ones I used to sing to Amber and Dru;

Who are sitting at a kitchen table, trying to figure out how they’ll get a second job, how they’ll pay for their next course in school;

Who are trying to make a way out of no way – hardworking Texans who may not be here; who may not catch this on the news but whose voices we have to carry along with us every single day through and – perhaps more importantly – after November.

They should have a Governor who’ll fight for them – a Governor who understands that, together, we can embrace the challenge of creating the greatest possible Texas.

Greg Abbott has proven time and again that he has a starkly different view, and his record proves it.

He’s not embracing the challenge; he’s creating one.

As much as Mr. Abbott likes to talk about his Working Texans Plan, he hasn’t done a thing that works for Texans.

You see, Mr. Abbott cut his teeth politically as part of the good old boys network that’s had their hands on the reins for decades. He’s been in their service and their debt since he ran for office, and as a judge and a lawyer he’s spent his career defending insiders, protecting insiders, stacking the deck for insiders and making hardworking Texans pay the price.

Greg Abbott has protected and helped insiders who gouge families by charging unlimited interest rates and fees on payday loans, and he’s fought to deprive basic health services to women across the state.

Texans expect a strong leader. They need a worker. They need a fighter. That is NOT Greg Abbott.

No. No…this race isn’t only about creating what’s best; it’s about rooting out what’s worst. It’s not just about narrowing the achievement gap; it’s about broadening opportunity. It’s not just about demanding the change; it’s about supplying the chance.

You know, I don’t come from a whole lot in terms of money. But growing up, I benefited from the influence of some strong women. Many of you have heard me talk about the strength of my own mother and the poise of my paternal grandmother.

But I haven’t said much about the woman who probably made the most profound impact on my life, and that’s my maternal grandmother, Lela. Day to day, hers is the voice, the attitude and the ethic that I draw my strength from most.

I used to spend my summers with her at her home in a town up in the Panhandle called Muleshoe, Texas.

My mom remembers when she was a child and they first moved there. Her dad was looking for work, and they were living on “water gravy” and “water biscuits.” She told me it was like eating glue, and she never forgot what it was like to live for weeks on end in a state of unabated hunger.

Grandma wasn’t one much for physical affection, but she showed me what it meant to be loved.

We worked side by side every single day: Working in her garden; walking her bill payments to the utility companies, rather than spending the money on the stamps to deliver them there; sitting on her porch, snapping green beans until my fingers were sore; standing in her kitchen, sweat running down my back as we canned vegetables to the relentless hiss-hiss of her old, faithful pressure-cooker.

So, so much in the way of love. So, so much in the quiet demonstration of work. And never, ever a word of complaint or time spent wondering aloud where the meaning was in it all.

The meaning in life, for her, was simple. Life was about the value of an honest and hard day’s work and the good sleep that followed it.

And for the rest of my life, I will never forget the lessons she taught me.

She showed me that where you come from doesn’t have to determine where you end up, and she believed with all her heart that the greatest part of Texas is its promise.

And so I have to laugh when I hear Mr. Abbott lay claim to Texas values. My values are my Grandma’s values, and they’re the values of every hardworking Texan that I know.

Here’s the truth about Greg Abbott’s values: Greg Abbott is a career insider. As a judge and as Attorney General, Greg Abbott has proven over and over again that he is another insider, protecting and defending insiders who just aren’t working for you.

When Greg Abbott takes hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from payday lenders and then clears the way for them to charge unlimited interest rates and fees, sometimes as much as 1700 percent, to our service members, teachers and nurses – Texas families who are struggling to get by – he isn’t working for you; he’s just another insider, working for insiders.

When Greg Abbott approves 20 billion dollars in bond deals from six law firms who gave him nearly $1 million in donations, he’s not working for you; he’s just another insider working for insiders.

When Greg Abbott sides with chemical companies and blocks communities, schools and hospitals from knowing about hazardous chemicals stored just blocks away, he’s not working to keep your family safe. He’s just another insider protecting insiders who are putting your families at risk.

And when a report found that as Supreme Court Justice, Greg Abbott received 46 percent of his campaign contributions from those appearing before his court, we’ve got to ask ourselves: Was Greg Abbott working for hardworking Texans or was he just another member of the old insiders network, protecting insiders?

When Greg Abbott tries to force one of his own employees to lie under oath in order to tarnish the reputation of one of his political opponents, and she refused… he fired her because he’s not working for you, and proved he’s not fit to be your Governor.

When Greg Abbott served on the oversight committee of our Cancer Prevention and Research Institute (CPRIT) and willfully looked the other way while donors, who gave him $500,000 in contributions, pilfered $42 million that was intended for cancer research, you know that Greg Abbott is another insider, protecting other insiders and if you or a loved one is facing down cancer, you sure as hell know he isn’t working for you.

When I consider the way my grandma lived her life, her honest approach to a hard day’s work, I know I don’t need my grandma to tell us that Greg Abbott’s career and record fly in the face of Texas values.

You see, for folks like my Grandma, they didn’t just live the way they did out of choice; they did it out of necessity. Every day, my grandmother woke up thinking about the 14 children she had to feed rather than thinking about herself. She led a life that taught her to appreciate others and put them first.

She couldn’t afford what everyone else could, but she could make sure my mom had a better chance than she had, just as my mom did for me.

That’s just what they did, that’s who they were, that’s what they were made of, and that’s what they taught me.

And, in turn, I made sure my children would have it better than I had it. But under Greg Abbott, my grandchildren – your grandchildren – will be in danger of becoming the first generation of Texans in history to have it worse off than their parents.

So we can’t afford another term of insiders.

One of my favorite quotes is from one of Texas history’s proudest statesmen, Sam Rayburn, who said in his typical style, “Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a good carpenter to build one.”

Greg Abbott is the leader of the Republican party. When your party’s platform calls for cutting education funding at all levels and your actions lead schools to close down, lay off teachers and overcrowd our classrooms, that’s kickin’ the barn down.

When Greg Abbott wants four-year-olds to take standardized tests when they can barely write their own names, that’s kickin’ the barn down.

When Greg Abbott fights over 600 Texas school districts in court for what little they have left, that’s kickin’ the barn down.

When Greg Abbott sees that he’s about to lose that same case in court, and he files a motion for the judge to be dismissed, that’s kickin’ the barn down.

I will build Texas by fighting for our communities, not against them. I’ll build a 21st century economy that creates more good-paying jobs and works for all hardworking Texans.

I will implement full-day, Pre-K for every eligible child;

I’ll make sure we get out of our teachers’ way and let them teach more and test less, and I’ll make sure they don’t have to dig into their own pockets to buy school supplies for their students.

And I’ll make college more accessible and affordable.

Education is a promise we make to our children. Stay in school, do your homework, study hard…and you can achieve anything.

Public education is a promise that we make to each other, and to the generations who will follow us. It’s a promise that says, build your factory here, and you’ll find plenty of qualified men and women ready to go to work. It’s a promise that says, raise your family here, and no matter where you come from, your kids can go far.

It’s a promise that says, in this state, no one gets left behind or counted out.

Texas, I will fight for that promise. I will fight for our children.

I will make sure our economic development tools don’t become an ATM or slush fund for insiders and special interests.

I’ll make sure our tax system stops treating private country clubs like they’re public parks.

I’ll make sure commercial skyscrapers aren’t allowed to game the system, avoid paying their property taxes and shift the burden onto the backs of hardworking Texas families and public schools to the point where we’re pricing folks out of their homes;

That big-box stores don’t get rewarded simply for paying their taxes on time.

We’ve heard plenty of politicians to make promises only to leave us behind the day after the election. And anyone who’s lived in the district I represent will tell you that after I won, I didn’t leave them behind.

That when we invest precious tax dollars into private partners who don’t hold up their end of the bargain – just as I did when I was on the City Council in Fort Worth – I’ll make sure they pay that money back.

I will fight for our economy. And I will fight for your place in it.

That’s my promise to you. That’s the promise of Texas. It’s the promise of our future, and it reaches back decades and decades to before any of us were born.

I was at a summit marking the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act just a couple of months ago when former President Clinton spoke about the sacrifice so many made in hopes of fulfilling the promise of a better future. He said that he worries when people get up and think that every tomorrow will be just like yesterday. He finished by saying that the great heroism of the civil rights movement is that all of its people were literally willing to give up their lives because they believed that tomorrow should be different…that it should be better than yesterday.

So when Greg Abbott’s party passes policies that lead to crumbling highways and gravel roads, that’s taking us back to yesterday.

When Mr. Abbott says he’d veto the Texas Equal Pay Act, he’s trying to take us back to yesterday. It’s not 1814. He needs to add two hundred years. Women can go to college now. We can vote. We don’t iron the pants; we wear them.

When Greg Abbott tries to restrict voting rights or rip apart African-American and Hispanic neighborhoods to weaken votes, to silence their voices, that’s yesterday. That became yesterday back in 1965.

Texas, I am brave enough to believe in our tomorrow. I am brave enough to believe in our children. I am brave enough to believe in the future of this great state.

More good-paying jobs, more industry partnerships, more water resources and stronger roads.

That’s the Texas of tomorrow.

Making sure predatory payday lenders can’t prey on our veterans, service members and teachers.

That is the Texas of tomorrow.

Veterans who have access to health care and good-paying jobs, DREAMers who live in a reformed immigration system with the right to contribute to the only country they know and love.

That is the Texas of tomorrow. That is what I’m fighting for.

For generations, we’ve been a state of builders, doers and leaders. Look at the wildcatters who built the oil and gas industry. Look at the ranchers and farmers who provide for our families and our nation. Look at the innovators who continue to make our computer chips smaller, faster, and cheaper. Look at the people, hardworking people, who call this state home – single moms and married ones – who want nothing more than a brighter future for themselves and their children. They’re doing their part, and they deserve to know that we’ll do ours. That’s who we are. That’s the promise of Texas.

And it is only because of that promise that a 19-year-old girl, eventually working two jobs, raising a child on her own in a trailer and then in a small apartment, sometimes sitting in the dark, praying for an answer to how she’ll turn the lights back on, can stand before you today as a candidate for Governor of Texas.

My story is only possible because our public education system created a ladder for me.

And I didn’t climb that ladder only to pull it up behind me and cut off opportunities for our children today.

Texas, I will not leave you behind.

I’m running because as that single mom, working two low-paying jobs, I faced – day in and day out – the challenge of living in a big state with loud pride, hard struggles and quiet voices.

I’m running because there’s a moderate majority that’s being ignored – commonsense, practical, hardworking Texans whose voices are being drowned out by insiders in Greg Abbott’s party, and it needs to stop.

I’m running because I am tired of the attitude that says, I got mine, but you’re on your own.

I’m running because a woman who needs a doctor shouldn’t have to go miles and miles before reaching the nearest health center, passing shuttered ones all along the way.

I’m running because I don’t want to leave a broken economy for my grandchildren, because I didn’t fight as hard as I did and as long as I had to, just to press reset and make them live through those same struggles all over again.

I am running because I’ll be a Governor who’ll fight for every single hardworking Texan – not just some.

And I know that my grandma would be proud today – not just because I’m running for Governor but because of why I’m running.

And each day as I think about my daughters, I think of her and the dreams that she had for me.

My elections…she never saw me win them with her eyes, but she saw it.

Like in Scripture, the Hebrew verse that says, “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them in the distance.”

If I close my eyes, I can still hear her calling me in for supper. I can hear her talk about the promise of our great state and see her lean back, cross her arms and beam each time a Texan rises up to defy the odds and defend the promise.

Yes. Yes…she would do all she could to make sure her generation’s progress wasn’t turned away from her great-great-grandchildren.

She would do all she could to win this fight because this election would be real for her just as it is for me, just as it is for our volunteers, just as it is for each and every one of you.

Yes. Yes, she’d know that if two brothers could stake the ground, dig their wells and create an oil boom that powers a nation…

If a little boy from Marshall can grow up to help lead a movement and stir up Freedom Rides that swept a land…

If fighter pilots from Lackland could light the skies, train their guns and rain down fire on Nazi soldiers during World War II…

If a Houston congresswoman with a clear, ringing voice could use it to call down a history’s worth of unjust labor laws…

If a white-haired, blue-eyed, long-drawled Democrat can mount a stage and show the world that she can do anything a man can do but backwards and in high heels…

Then, Texas, we can come together to fight for our promise. We can come together to summon our dreams. We can come together to knock doors, make calls and register voters, uniting with common purpose and shared values to affirm our future, to build our tomorrow and to speak a vow that will echo in homes, classrooms and industries all across our great state. And when we do that, we will win.