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What do Wendy Davis, Rick Perry, Donna Howard and Jodie Laubenberg have in common?

Texas

Wendy Davis filibustered a measure restricting abortions in Texas June 26, 2013. The Truth-O-Meter whirred (Alberto Martinez, Austin American-Statesman).

By W. Gardner Selby June 24, 2014

Winners and losers in the summer 2013 special sessions culminating in restrictions on abortion in Texas are marking one-year anniversaries.

We’re pitching in by piling up fact checks generated in those weeks. Read on, to the right.

See the compiled fact checks.

stated on October 25, 2018 in a TV ad:

Says Ken Paxton "shut down the world’s largest human trafficking marketplace."

barely-true

barely-true

stated on October 22, 2018 in a rally for Republican candidates in Houston:

Says Beto O’Rourke "voted to shield MS-13 gang members from deportation."

barely-true

barely-true

stated on October 16, 2018 in a debate televised from San Antonio:

Says "only one other senator from either party over the last 25 years" has "a worse record on bipartisanship" than Ted Cruz.

true

true

Alexander Strenger

stated on October 1, 2018 in response cited in an interactive voter guide:

Says 60 percent of Austin’s "waterways are found to be contaminated with fecal matter and deemed unsafe to swim."

half-true

half-true

stated on September 29, 2018 in an Austin rally:

Says that in Texas, "you can be too gay to adopt" a foster child "who needs a loving home."

half-true

half-true

stated on September 21, 2018 in a debate at Southern Methodist University:

Says Beto O’Rourke described police as "modern-day Jim Crow."

barely-true

barely-true

stated on September 21, 2018 in a debate at Southern Methodist University:

Says he "did not try to leave the scene of the accident" that led to his arrest for driving while intoxicated.

barely-true

barely-true

stated on September 12, 2018 in a TV ad:

Says Beto O’Rourke voted "against body armor for Texas sheriffs patrolling the border."

false

false

stated on August 26, 2018 in an interview on Fox & Friends:

Says Texas has "had over 600,000 crimes committed by illegals since 2011. Over 1,200 homicides."

pants-fire

pants-fire

stated on August 30, 2018 in a TV ad:

Says Texas "high school graduation rates are at all-time highs."

true

true

stated on September 4, 2018 in a video:

Says Beto O’Rourke said he’s grateful that people are burning or desecrating the American flag.

false

false

stated on August 28, 2018 in an online video ad:

Says Beto O’Rourke "voted against" Hurricane Harvey "tax relief."

mostly-true

mostly-true

stated on August 21, 2018 in an interview on Spectrum Cable's "Capital Tonight":

Says U.S. Rep. John Carter "hasn’t held a town hall in five years."

mostly-true

mostly-true

stated on July 26, 2018 in an ad in the Houston Defender:

Says "black Americans have 10 times less wealth than white Americans."

mostly-true

mostly-true

Silvestre Reyes

stated on May 22, 2012 in a TV ad:

Says Beto O’Rourke "has a criminal record that includes DWI and burglary arrests."

true

true

Donald Trump
stated on December 9, 2025 in public events:

The U.S. has received promises of investments totaling $18 trillion to $22 trillion since January.

By Louis Jacobson • December 9, 2025
Tim Walz
stated on November 30, 2025 in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press":

“I take responsibility for putting people in jail” in Minnesota fraud scandal.

By Amy Sherman • December 5, 2025
Donald Trump
stated on December 1, 2025 in una publicación en Truth Social:

Video muestra noticia de “última hora” en el que el presidente venezolano Nicolás Maduro se “rindió públicamente” ante el presidente Donald Trump.

By Maria Briceño • December 4, 2025
Donald Trump
stated on December 2, 2025 in a Truth Social post:

Any pardon signed with an autopen is now "fully and completely terminated, and is of no legal effect."

By Louis Jacobson • December 4, 2025
Facebook posts
stated on December 1, 2025 in a Facebook post:

A new North Carolina law “prohibits the use of wireless communication devices while driving.”

By Paul Specht • December 4, 2025
Donald Trump
stated on December 1, 2025 in a Truth Social post:

Video shows “breaking” news that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro "publicly surrendered" to President Donald Trump.

By Maria Briceño • December 3, 2025
Richard Hudson
stated on November 24, 2025 in a newsletter:

“This Thanksgiving, turkey prices are at their lowest point since 2000.”

By Paul Specht • November 26, 2025
Social Media
stated on November 20, 2025 in social media posts:

The Trump administration removed nursing from the list of professional degree programs, affecting aspiring nurses’ student loan access.

By Madison Czopek • November 26, 2025
Donald Trump
stated on November 22, 2025 in a Truth Social post:

“I have just gotten the highest poll numbers of my ‘political career.’”

By Louis Jacobson • November 24, 2025
Tricia McLaughlin
stated on November 17, 2025 in an interview posted to X:

“There’s about 1,400 criminal illegal aliens that, right now, are in North Carolina and Charlotte’s jails that they refuse to turn over to ICE law enforcement.”

By Paul Specht • November 24, 2025