 George W. Bush made tort reform a centerpiece of his successful run for Texas governor and of his second-term domestic policy agenda.In the 2004 presidential election, Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards, a successful trial attorney, was criticized by tort reform advocates for lawsuits that he brought against obstetricians on behalf of children who suffered severe birth injuries; reformers criticized the suits as relying on "junk science", while Edwards denied the allegation.Republican lobbyist Grover Norquist points out possible political motivations for tort reform, writing in "American Spectator" that "Modest tort reform, much of which has been actively considered by committees in both houses, would defund the trial lawyers, now second only to the unions, and this is debatable, as the funding source of the Left in America."