Greg Abbott, the Republican candidate in the Texas gubernatorial race who is in a wheelchair, fired back at his Democratic opponent Wendy Davis Monday night after she aired a nasty attack ad that took a shot at his handicap.
"My opponent can attack a guy in a wheelchair if she wants to," Abbott said on Fox News Channel's
"Hannity." "I don't think it's going to sell real well."
Abbott served on the Texas Supreme Court from 1995-2001 and has been the state's Attorney General since 2002.
The attack ad, called "Justice," calls into question Abbott's record against handicapped people and rape victims.
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During his appearance on "Hannity," Abbott blasted the claims as untrue.
"All of those things are equally false," he said. "There's no one who has a stronger track record at protecting victims of rape than I do."
Abbott added that he put in place a program that arrested 4,500 sex offenders during his time as a public servant in Texas.
On Monday, Davis held a campaign event that featured people in wheelchairs on the stage with her.
"This ad is about one thing. And one thing only. It's about Greg Abbott's hypocrisy," she said, according to
the Daily Caller. "Greg Abbott rightly sought justice for himself when he sued a tree company and a homeowner and he received a multimillion dollar settlement in his suit. And ever since, in his role as a public servant, Greg Abbott has shown time and time again that he has worked to deny that same justice to others."
Said Abbott Monday night: "My reaction is if she wants to attack a guy in a wheelchair, that's her prerogative." He added that he's worried about and focusing on the issues and "the future of Texas while my opponent continues to attack me."
Abbott was out running in 1984 when a tree fell on him. The impact fractured his vertebrae and left him paralyzed.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, is not running for a fourth term in the statehouse after first taking office in 2000.