#WendyDavis had one definite whiff in her debate with #GregAbbott

In Friday's Texas gubernatorial debate, candidates each got to ask one another a question:
In the middle of the debate, when the candidates asked each other one question apiece, Abbott asked Davis if she regretted her vote for Obama.

She did not answer directly, instead transitioning quickly into a version of her stump speech.

The moment underlined Davis’ challenge as she tries to make up major ground in the campaign’s final weeks if she is to overcome the 20-year drought of Democrats winning statewide office.

“She didn’t want to be linked with the national Democratic Party while running for a state office for Texas,” (said Paul Jorgensen, a political science professor at the University of Texas-Pan American.) “And going into the debate, I’m sure she knew that Abbott was going to try to do that. And so she didn’t want to play into his hand there, but it led to a rather weak answer.”

Yeah, that was weak.

Correct answer? A rhetorical question. Or a string of them.

"Mr. Abbott, do you regret voting for a governor who's now under indictment for abuse of power? Mr. Abbott, do you regret voting for a governor who's now under indictment because he tried to muscle aside the district attorney investigating him for campaign-related financial issues related to you? Mr. Abbott, do you regret not having better oversight as attorney general over donations to politicians that may have led to favorable treatment for donors by the Texas Enterprise Fund and the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas?"

Yep, she should have been prepared for this Abbott question with a comeback like that.

But, instead, either she herself or her staff and handlers blew it. In my opinion, she's getting bad advice to not tie Perry's indictment to Abbott every chance she gets. From the day the Perry indictment broke, her campaign staff has kept her buttoned down on this issue, and I think it's a stupid decision.

You're down a dozen or more percentage points in a lot of polling, from what polling we've had. It's time to unbutton and swing for the fences; there's just six weeks left.

We'll see if she does that in the second debate.

We all know, per scorecarding, that she has to rattle Abbott. My mock suggested answer for her to give to Abbott at least would have a chance of doing that. You've got to try to bell Abbott with the word "corruption." After that, Sen. Davis, if you want minority voter turnout for you, not just in percentages but in total numbers, you then have to bell the Abbott cat with voter suppression.

Speaking of, there's still time to vote in my poll at right, about this year's race.