A dark money group with deep pockets is targeting Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in a new ad critical of the leadership team’s handling of the 2021 winter storm that brought the state’s energy grid to its knees.
The ad, titled “Again” from the group Coulda Been Worse, begins with a deep, throaty male narrator walking voters through an ominous retelling of the widespread outages and the sweeping repercussions.
“Again,” it begins, naming Abbot, Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton. “Three men ignored years of warnings about the Texas power grid. Three men ignored warnings of a massive winter storm. Texas was unprepared.”
It then goes on to explain that “hundreds died,” that patients couldn’t receive care and that homes and businesses were destroyed.
It also notes that “billions of dollars were lost.”
“Paxton, as head of consumer protection in Texas, had one job. Instead he fled the freeze for Utah,” the ad continues.
It goes on to lament Abbot for ordering “the highest electrical rates in Texas history” and accuses the three targets of receiving “millions of dollars from those who made huge profits.”
It ends with a stark punch: “The damn grid still isn’t fixed.”
Abbott is seeking his third term as Governor. He faces Democrat Beto O’Roarke in the November General Election.
Texas leaders, especially the three named in the ad, have faced ongoing criticism over the winter storm that left millions without access to electricity, in some cases for several days. More than 4 million lost power while 13 million had limited access to clean water.
