--- title: Texas Governor Candidate Wendy Davis Seizes On Abortion Barbie Posters description: Once forgotten, abortion returns as an issue in Texas’s gubernatorial campaign canonical: https://time.com/132067/wendy-davis-texas-abortion-barbie/ author: Jay Newton-Small article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-05-28T20:07:33.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T08:05:31.118Z article:section: Politics og:title: Texas Governor Candidate Wendy Davis Seizes On Abortion Barbie Posters og:description: Once forgotten, abortion returns as an issue in Texas’s gubernatorial campaign og:url: https://time.com/132067/wendy-davis-texas-abortion-barbie/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Texas Governor Candidate Wendy Davis Seizes On Abortion Barbie Posters twitter:description: Once forgotten, abortion returns as an issue in Texas’s gubernatorial campaign twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Davis Campaign Seizes on 'Abortion Barbie' Posters in Texas > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=c23f7a2f-7c24-4bc8-b9ba-13680ece234d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=c23f7a2f-7c24-4bc8-b9ba-13680ece234d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=c23f7a2f-7c24-4bc8-b9ba-13680ece234d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=c23f7a2f-7c24-4bc8-b9ba-13680ece234d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1)  by [Jay Newton-Small](https://time.com/author/jay-newton-small/)  ## Jay Newton-Small May 28, 2014 8:07 PM UTC  by [Jay Newton-Small](https://time.com/author/jay-newton-small/)  ## Jay Newton-Small May 28, 2014 8:07 PM UTC Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis recently came upon life-sized posters of her head on a naked Barbie doll’s body, with a tiny infant doll in her stomach and a giant pair of scissors hanging ominously, and inexplicably, over a black baby doll to her side. The posters, which greeted David as she traveled to California for fundraisers last week, read: “Hollywood Welcomes Abortion Barbie Wendy Davis.” The posters were signed Sabo, a self-described conservative street artist who told [the San Antonio _Express-News_](http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Conservative-Midland-woman-funds-Abortion-5499208.php) he was paid by Kathryn Stuard for the work. Struad, a supporter of Davis’s Republican opponent Greg Abbott, confirmed this on Twitter. “I find it fascinating that my support of a talented artist is the story,” Straud wrote. “He is the story. Why hate that he expresses visually what u \[sic\] support.” Abbott, the Texas attorney general, disavowed the posters. “These posters are not affiliated with our campaign and we find them appalling,” Abbot spokesman Matt Hirsch said in a statement. Davis first rose to prominence for an 11-hour filibuster of an anti-abortion bill in the Texas state Senate. But abortion is not a top issue for Texas voters and Davis, trailing Abbot by 12.3 percentage points in a _RealClearPolitics_ average of state polls has tried to focus her campaign on the economy, education and immigration. Abortion isn’t a top issue on her website. The issue grew so cold that some Republicans accused Davis of running away from it. “There are early indications that the so-called ‘War on Women’ has run its course. Look at Wendy Davis, who catapulted to national fame a year ago on this issue of abortion,” a GOP strategist told TIME in April. “If you go on Wendy Davis’ campaign website it’s completely scrubbed of anything having to do with abortion and she now describe herself as pro-life. She has a 46% approval with women in Texas and Greg Abbott is beating her among women.” While Davis never went so far as to describe herself as pro-life, groups that favor abortion access did go after Davis for saying she’d support a ban on 20-week abortions, though she’d said even before the filibuster that that was a piece of the anti-abortion legislation she would have supported. But with the poster controversy, abortion has returned as a campaign issue with a vengeance. Davis’ campaign has sent out no less than five fundraising emails off the scandal. “We’ve had a really strong response regardless of where people stand on the issue to the poster,” Davis spokeswoman Lauren Weiner said. National women’s groups and other candidates have condemned the posters. All of which shows, there’s little candidates can do sometimes when some supporters take things too far. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/132067/wendy-davis-texas-abortion-barbie/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/132067/wendy-davis-texas-abortion-barbie/"},"headline":"Davis Campaign Seizes on 'Abortion Barbie' Posters in Texas","datePublished":"2014-05-28T20:07:33.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T08:05:31.118Z","description":"Once forgotten, abortion returns as an issue in Texas’ gubernatorial campaign","url":"https://time.com/132067/wendy-davis-texas-abortion-barbie/","keywords":["States"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jay Newton-Small","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jay-newton-small/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/states/","name":"States"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/132067/wendy-davis-texas-abortion-barbie/","name":"Davis Campaign Seizes on 'Abortion Barbie' Posters in Texas"}}]}] ```