Wendy Davis Raises $1.2 M for Governor Run

Wendy Davis is seeing a major return on her time investment.

The formerly relatively low-profile Texas State Senator raised about $1.2 million in the six weeks following her marathon June filibuster session against an anti-abortion bill in the Texas legislature.

People are still buzzing about the 50-year-old Democratic party darling, whose name is being mentioned as a candidate for Texas governor.

Davis' rapid fundraising is notable in part because of who is giving. Instead of a couple of huge donations, Davis' $1.2 million was accumulated by more than 24,000 individual donors who contributed an average of $52 each. And more than 60 percent of those people were from her home state.

Davis' star power could be a huge boon to the Democratic party, both in Texas and in outside states. Texas Democrats estimated that Davis' campaign could revive the party within the state and generate as much as $40 million in campaign funds. And all the hubbub in Texas would force Republicans to redirect campaign funds towards the Lone Star State, and away from other competitive elections in states like Ohio, Florida, and Michigan.

According to independent consultants, the chance of her actually winning the race a race for governor in Texas is not so great. Analysts tasked with judging the likelihood of a victory found that while Davis is well known, information about her stance on political issues is not. That's a point that Republicans would likely exploit, painting Davis as out of touch with the Texas electorate's normally conservative views.

But many care less about the ultimate outcome and more about the buzz that a star Democratic candidate could generate in a state that hasn't seen a Democrat hold a statewide office in about 20 years.

In her most recent public appearance, Davis said that she was seriously considering the option. With her final verdict on a run is being pushed back as she cares for her father, Davis has said that she will decide whether or not to run for the open Texas governorship by next month.