It is so refreshing to watch the Abbott and Davis campaigns. Greg Abbott is campaigning vigorously and rising to the challenge of engaging in democracy. For the last several years, Republicans have taken it down a notch for the general election as Democrats have just not been relevant in the State of Texas statewide campaigns.

Not Greg Abbott. Even though the polls show him with a comfortable lead over Wendy Davis, he is not taking anything for granted. She is running hard and he is answering her every move. They have dueling television ad campaigns and dueling arguments on the trail.

Davis does not hesitate to attack Abbott and he does not shy away from mentioning her name either. Greg Abbott wants to become Governor of Texas with a mandate from the people. He wants to not just win but win big and show the Legislature that he has support for his agenda.

The more aggressively Davis campaigns, the more it empowers Abbott if he is the eventual victor. I’m just thankful that they are present and campaigning for the office.

Governor Perry refused to do anything other than tightly controlled campaign appearances during his last couple of races. When facing Bill White, he would not appear jointly with him or engage him in debate.

Abbott and Davis have agreed to meet at least twice in debate. How can Texans, in all honesty, choose a leader without public debate? Well, we just vote party apparently.

Kudos to Davis and Abbott for running actual campaigns and letting Texans know there is an election coming up. And for you readers out there, it is time to engage, study the candidates and make an informed decision.