Hinojosa's attorneys argue in the letters that the ad damages her reputation and that Abbott's campaign could be liable for defamation over its claims. The letters demand stations stop airing the spot and retract or correct what Hinojosa's camp says are false statements.
It is not clear which stations received the letters, according to Dallas News. Abbott's campaign has already spent $12 million airing the ad across Texas, making it a central piece of his media push against Hinojosa in the governor's race.
The fight over the ad lands in the middle of a heated statewide campaign, with Abbott's camp betting big on a message about Hinojosa's tax record and Hinojosa's team betting the claim is false enough to force stations to drop it. Stations that comply could blunt a key piece of Abbott's advertising strategy heading into the race, while a refusal could send the dispute to court, with defamation claims hanging over the ad campaign.
Either way, Texans watching local news are stuck watching a legal fight over the ads play out right alongside the ads themselves.