After Wendy, What?

I think it can be safely assumed that Wendy Davis will run for governor in 2014, although the announcement may come later rather than sooner. The question is, where do the Democrats look for candidates to fill out their ticket after Davis? What about the other statewide offices?

The bench is very thin. Julian Castro appears to be looking at 2018 for his breakout race. Joaquin Castro isn’t going to give up his congressional seat. This is a critical election cycle, but every major statewide race has an open seat (except, of course, for lieutenant governor, but that has the feel of an open seat with the incumbent, David Dewhurst, being challenged by three credible current officeholders). Do the Democrats have a credible candidate for attorney general? Comptroller? Ag commissioner? And what about legislative races? Congressional races? The last time there was a midterm election, in 2010, the Democrats lost every contested race. The paucity of credible candidates is a real problem. Wendy Davis IS the Democratic brand.

AP Photo | Nick Wass