Top Abbott Strategist Admits Governor Lied About Darby

AUSTIN, Texas — State Rep. Drew Darby survived a blistering challenge in the GOP Primary Election on March 5 this year. Darby claimed about $2 million was spent on direct mail, P2A texting, and video ads to unseat him as the State Representative for Texas House District 72. His opponent, Stormy Bradley of Coahoma, could barely speak in public, relying upon scripted messaging delivered from note cards.

Yet Bradley was able to attract 43 percent of the vote against a nine-term incumbent with an $850,000 campaign war chest. Bradley admitted during scripted speeches that her first priority was “securing the border.”

Nevertheless, Abbott’s objection to Darby was Darby’s refusal to vote in favor of Abbott’s signature bill, HB1, that would have created a state-funded voucher program for private schools in Texas.

The messaging from Abbott’s paid advertising — and advertising from associated PACs — accused Darby of being soft on the border. The advertising rarely mentioned private school vouchers.

Now comes Scott Braddock, correspondent for the Quorum Report out of Austin, with a bombshell. Braddock claimed in his Thursday evening report that Abbott’s chief strategist and campaign manager Dave Carney was caught admitting the messaging Abbott used against mostly rural Republican state representatives was “bullshit.”

Citing “multiple sources,” Braddock claimed that some have “recalled that Carney has said on at least one conference call with some donors that Abbott’s border-themed attacks on anti-school voucher Republicans were based on untrue ‘bullshit.’”

Braddock’s sources also warned that Abbott will continue using the same messaging against four candidates in runoffs with the election on May 28.