All Signs Point to a Run For Governor

It's happening!

Senator Wendy Davis is reportedly making it clear that she will run for Texas governor in 2014. Politico cites "multiple sources" closely connected to Davis' campaign, who report that the senator has informed influential Democrats that she plans to be the party's nominee.

Davis' career flew relatively under the radar until June, when she spent thirteen hours in a marathon filibuster against her state's anti-abortion bill. Her stand prompted more than a million dollars in donations — predominantly from tens of thousands of individual donors. For this reason, the Democratic party is hopeful that her campaign for governor will bring in the big bucks. And her Republican opponent, expected to be Greg Abbott, would require huge campaign investment from the party to match it — which could mean GOP finances would be diverted from typically hard-fought states like Ohio, Michigan, and Florida.

Think of it as a game of Risk, only with limited funds instead of soldiers — and the Democratic installation of Davis as the party's Texas nominee as an excellent move.

Analysts, however, have noted that Davis' chances aren't strong. Though she garnered national support for her marathon filibuster, she's known for her liberal-leaning political views, including being pro-choice — and Texas is known for its conservatism. Because of the state's Republican leanings, it also hasn't had a Democratic statewide official for two decades, meaning the state's chances of electing a Democratic governor are, um, slim. Still, in very premature polls, Davis has won out quite substantially over Abbott — not to mention, almost two-thirds of her donations post-filibuster were from Texans themselves.

Though Davis' representatives refused to confirm the report, her political consultant has said that Davis plans to unveil her candidacy on Oct. 3. In an email to supporters, she indicated that she would make her plans clear at the beginning of October (Davis had been caring for her father, who died in early September) though it's no secret her party has been clamoring to secure her nomination for a while.