On Monday, two days after Slater’s piece ran, Davis released an open letter in which she said that “our opponents have gotten more and more desperate” and are now stooping “to a new low by attacking my family, my education, and my personal story”. She says that her story of “resiliency, and sacrifice, and perseverance. And you’re damn right it’s a true story.”

Damn right. As a woman, a mother, and a person whose partner has helped me financially to secure a good education, I am disappointed in seeing the first female democratic candidate for Texas governor in a long while – a woman who came to international fame for fighting for access to full, comprehensive reproductive healthcare – being painted as a poor mother or a money-grubbing schemer.

I hope someday that it will not be remarkable to have two women (Davis’ running mate is Leticia Van De Putte) at the top of the ticket. In order to make that happen, we have to keep holding the media accountable for how they talk about male and female candidates differently and we have to continue to advocate for gender-neutral reporting.