Each week Hilltop Views publishes a staff editorial to accompany our Viewpoints.

When Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis decided to put on her pink running shoes and filibuster a controversial abortion bill for 12 hours during the summer, little did she know that she would thrust herself and the state into the national spotlight. 

In the months since the filibuster, there have been numerous rumors circulating about whether or not she is running for governor 2014. 

Davis has yet to decide, but she needs to run for governor.

It is time to weaken the Republican Party’s hold on all state wide elections. Texans have not had a Democratic governor since 1994 when George W. Bush defeated Democratic Gov. Ann Richards. 

Bush was then elected to the White House in 2000, making then Lt. Gov. Rick Perry the chief executive of the state. The last Democrat to hold statewide office was former Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock who won reelection in 1994. Twenty years for one party to control a state is too long.

The 2014 election is the first one in 20 years where it seems that Democrats have a chance of winning the governorship and other offices. 

With the changing demographics of the state, the path to victory for Davis is viable, but there are some obstacles. 

First, Texas has the worst voting turnout in the nation, according to an Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life study. In order for Davis to win she must get more people simply get out and vote, especially minorities, women, and young and low-income Texans. Davis also needs millions of dollars to run her campaign. 

If she runs, her opponent will be current Attorney General Greg Abbott, who has over $20 million in cash on hand, according to his campaign finance reports. Davis raised about $1.2 million in the six weeks after her filibuster alone. 

Despite Texas being a very red state, there are many wealthy donors here who, for many years, have donated to the national party. They believed Democrats could not win statewide races, but with the prospect of a Davis campaign for governor, this may change. She will have a very deep war chest if she decides to run for governor — one that could rival Abbott’s.

However, Davis needs more than money. She needs a massive league of Democrats campaigning and urging for other Democrats to get out and vote. Where Obama has won with national promises of “Hope,” Davis can win with real solutions for the state. There is more than promise to Wendy Davis.

The time is right for Democrats to have a resurgence in Texas, and she is one of the best people poised to lead them to victory and the state to an even brighter future.