Fort Worth state Sen. Wendy Davis hasn’t made a formal announcement about whether she’ll run for governor or for her Senate seat again, but that hasn’t kept people from trying to make the announcement for her.
Lobbyist Robert Miller wrote on his blog Monday that Davis will, in fact, run for governor.
“Credible sources tell me that Sen. Wendy Davis will run for Governor in 2014 and not seek reelection to Texas Senate District 10,” Miller wrote.
The news has created even more discussion about a likely run since Davis announced last week in Washington, D.C. that she was deciding whether to run for re-election to her Senate seat or for governor. More attention has turned to how Davis will compete with Attorney General Greg Abbott, the Republican favorite, for the office.
Davis has been an avid supporter on LGBT issues. If she runs for governor, it’s possible openly gay Fort Worth Councilman Joel Burns would run for her Senate seat. Davis is expected to decide her political future by Labor Day.
A July poll by Public Policy Polling found that Abbott leads Davis 48 percent to 40 percent. But statewide groups are pushing for Davis to run in light of her recent stardom with the abortion filibuster despite a long shot chance of winning, if only to give Texas Democrats someone to rally behind.
The Texas Democratic Party is urging her to run. The Lone Star Project, a political action committee, is urging Texans to tell Davis that they want her to run.
Miller points out that her victory in keeping her Senate seat in a Republican district since 2008 has been hard fought and her bid for governor could be a victory, even if it’s not for her.
“However, the real winner of Sen. Davis’ decision to run for Governor are Texas Democrats,” Miller wrote. “Without her, they have no credible statewide candidate in 2014. With her, they will likely find other credible Democrats willing to step out and run statewide. She will also provide a race that Battleground Texas, the Obama campaign’s effort to turn Texas blue, can organize around. Finally, she will likely boost Democratic turnout in urban counties such as Dallas and Harris helping down ballot Democrats running for county and judicial offices.”
