Texas attorney general campaigns from wheelchair
Jul 23, 2013, 6:48 PM
HOUSTON (AP) – The stage at a Houston honky-tonk has a wheelchair ramp. At another campaign rally, Greg Abbott’s aides lay plywood on the ground to make a smooth path over wet grass. Other stops have no speaking platform, making it hard for standing crowds to see the candidate at all.
Those are just some of the daily challenges facing Abbott, the longtime Texas attorney general as he campaigns from a wheelchair to succeed Gov. Rick Perry.
The 55-year-old Abbott lost use of both legs in 1984 after a tree crashed onto him while jogging. Now he’s the early favorite to replace Perry, who is not seeking re-election.
If Abbott wins, he would become the nation’s first elected governor in a wheelchair since 1982, when George Wallace won his final term in Alabama.
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