Michelle Obama backs Davis in Texas ad

Michelle Obama is lending her voice to Democrat Wendy Davis’s run for Texas governor.

{mosads}The first lady is featured in a new radio spot for the embattled candidate that highlights Davis’s background and her focus on education.

“Now, for Wendy, education is a top priority because she wants to give all our kids a chance to build a better life for themselves and for their families,” Obama says in the ad — which touts Davis’s support of universal pre-kindergarten.

While her dramatic filibuster last year of a ban on late-term abortions brought Davis into the national spotlight and precipitated her run for governor, she first rose to prominence during a contentious debate over education funding in 2011.

In the ad, Obama also draws on Davis’s backstory. Davis went to college while raising her daughter and later attended Harvard Law School.

Davis’s pick for lieutenant governor, Leticia Van de Putte, also got some high-wattage support on Wednesday, deploying a fundraising email signed by Bill Clinton.

Despite early enthusiasm over Davis’s run, she has struggled in her campaign against Republican state Attorney General Greg Abbott to succeed Gov. Rick Perry (R). The campaign has been bitterly fought, with Davis and Abbott attacking each other over the airwaves.

Now, with the race in the home stretch, Davis has a tough battle ahead of her. HuffPost Pollster, which aggregates polling data from around the country, said Davis is trailing Abbott by more than 13 points.