Coulda Been Worse LLC aired a television advertisement against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, highlighting some of Texas’ most disastrous moments under his watch as governor.
The ad listed everything that has happened in the state under Abbott’s leadership, including the Sante Fe, El Paso Wal-Mart, and Uvalde mass shootings, the 2021 winter storm Uri and power grid collapse, failed border policies, the all-out abortion ban, and rising property taxes.
“Any one of these a terrible shame for Texas, and all of these are horrific signs something big is terribly, terribly wrong,” the narrator says at the end of the one-minute clip, which features a closeup of Abbott’s face.
The ad ends with Abbott’s press conference after the Uvalde massacre, where he said, “it could’ve been worse,” a statement the group used to name the corporation.
According to the Federal Communications Commission, the $6.1 million ad buy is expected to run on Texas airwaves across the state until Oct. 9.
The FCC lists Michael Waters as the company’s executive director, and the address on file is in Arlington, Virginia. Icon International is based in Connecticut and listed as the LLC’s media buyer.
The Signal reached out to Waters and Bob Schindele, Icon International’s representative, but has yet to hear back.
Despite Abbott’s accomplices faulting O’Rourke for the unexpected and unanticipated advertisement, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate said he didn’t know who the LLC was in a town hall in Lockhart over the weekend.
O’Rourke also said the donors should disclose their identities–regardless of the flexible disclosure requirements on corporations.
This out-of-state ad comes as Abbott and O’ Rourke target each other with attack ads on Texas voters’ top issues. The latest poll from the University of Houston showed O’ Rourke trailing Abbott by seven points.
On Monday, O’Rourke released an ad slamming Abbott for signing the state’s permitless carry bill into law despite Texas law enforcement opposition to the bill in the 2021 legislative session.
The permitless carry law allows Texans 21 years old and older to carry a firearm without a permit unless they are prohibited by federal or state law.
“It makes our jobs, the jobs of our men and women, more dangerous,” a police officer says in the ad.
With less than two months till election day, Abbott has spent $13.4 million in advertisements, and O’Rourke has spent $11.8 million.
Kennedy is a recent graduate of the University of St.Thomas in Houston where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Celt Independent. Kennedy brings her experience of writing about social justice issues to the Texas Signal where she serves as our Political Reporter. She does everything from covering crime beats, Texas politics, and community activism. Kennedy is a passionate reporter, avid reader, coffee enthusiast, and loves to travel.
