Wendy Davis for Governor

Worst kept secret in Texas politics is out: Wendy Davis enters governor's race

Wendy Davis announced today she will run in the 2014 Texas gubernatorial election.

Wendy Davis Campaign/Facebook

After months ducking and dodging the question, State Sen. Wendy Davis (finally) announced October 3 that she will be running for governor of our great state of Texas. The rumor mill began churning a week ago when the Associated Press published reports that Davis was officially launching her campaign.

The world (and her Republican opponent, Greg Abbott) has had months to prepare for this moment. In fact, the attacks against Davis have already kicked into full gear in the past week.

AP reports that an anti-abortion group is running bilingual attack ads in markets along the Texas border. Meanwhile, Greg Abbott is buying up air time with his brand new "Preserve Texas" video, in which he's fishing and shooting rifles (which, we noted, he handled pretty well!).

There are even polls that put Davis and Abbott within 8 percentage points of each other. Did we mention that she just announced she was running today?

Wendy Davis became a household name after a 10-hour filibuster at the State Capitol to kill one of the strictest abortion bills in the country. (The bill eventually passed in a special legislative session.) She took the podium at the Haltom City high school coliseum where she earned her diploma 32 years ago and opened her speech with these words:

We’re here because we care about Texas. We’re here because we care about Texans. And we’re here because we believe it’s time to give all Texans a voice in their future and a place in Texas’ future.

After many more quote-worthy lines about Texas and Texans, Davis closed with the words everyone wanted to hear:

Texas has always been a promise — the promise that where you start has nothing to do with how far you can come. Our future is brightest when it's lit by everyone's star. And that's why, today, I'm proud to announce my candidacy to be the 48th governor of this great state.

unspecified

Fun times in the city

Dallas swings a spot on new list of most fun cities in U.S. for 2024

Topgolf Facebook

undefined

Dallas just wants to have fun, according to WalletHub's new ranking of the most fun cities in America in 2024.

The annual report ranked Dallas No. 31 out of 182 U.S. cities.

WalletHub's experts compared each city using 65 metrics to determine their level of "fun." Metrics were split among three main categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost.

According to the study's findings, Dallas was 24th nationally in the category for nightlife and parties, and ranked No. 39 in the "entertainment and recreation" category. That may be especially alluring for anyone who wants to explore the city's vast entertainment opportunities (especially during the holiday season), family-friendly recreational activities, top dining destinations, and more. Plus, Dallas is home to entertainment juggernauts like the State Fair of Texas and TopGolf.

Dallas performed poorly in the overall cost category, earning No. 114 out of all 182 cities. However, this category mostly compares flat costs rather than affordability based on local cost of living.

Potential new Dallasites should do their research before deciding to move here, rather than basing their decision on short trips and vacations alone. But we won't blame them for wanting to live in one of the best cities in the world.

"The top cities offer affordable options for year-round fun for their residents, which is good for residents’ wallets and their mental health," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo in the report.

Austin (No. 6) and Houston (No. 9) were the only Texas cities to earn a spot in the top 10 most fun U.S. cities list. Austin moved up one spot from last year, while Houston made a 10-place jump.

Other fun-filled Texas cities that made it in the top 100 are El Paso (No. 53), Fort Worth (No. 55), Plano (No. 78), Arlington (No. 79), and Corpus Christi (No. 99).

The top 10 most fun U.S. cities are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 6 – Austin, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 9 – Houston, Texas
No. 10 – New York City, New York

Cities were evaluated based on the number of attractions per capita, nightlife activities per capita, the average prices for eating at a restaurant or buying a movie ticket, and more. Data was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau, The Trust for Public Land, and the Council for Community and Economic Research, among others.

dance clubs fun cities nightlife parties recreation wallethub