Wendy Davis set to announce run for Texas governor at pep-style rally

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Though Washington, D.C., has refused to cut services to the degree seen in previous shutdowns, Mayor Vincent Gray issued a letter Tuesday warning that “time is running out -- and, soon, I will have exhausted every resource available to me to protect our residents, our workers, and our visitors.” (Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)

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It took a salmonella outbreak to prompt the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to bring back nearly all of its furloughed food monitors Tuesday, after 278 cases were reported across 18 states, including California. The Food and Drug Administration’s food-safety programs have also been curtailed, with the agency furloughing about half of its employees. (Jordan Kartholl / Associated Press)

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which receives its funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation, has significantly cut its safety programs, including issuing recalls, testing safety ratings and reviewing complaints. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)

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Though food stamps continue to be distributed during the shutdown, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children has been defunded. The program, which aids in providing food and healthcare to low-income mothers and their children, is estimated by the USDA to have sufficient funding for about a week before running out entirely. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

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The early education program Head Start has stated that up to 19,000 children are left without its services during the shutdown, since the grant money required to maintain 23 programs in 11 states has been cut off. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

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About 200 patients will be turned away from clinical trials each week the government is shut down, National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins confirmed. Thirty of those patients are children, many of whom are suffering from cancer. Above, Lakers Forward Matt Barnes chatting with Allie Newman, 16 during visits with young patients at the Mattel’s Children Hospital. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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The Miramar Marine Corps Air Show, planned for this weekend, is among the most heavily attended air shows in the country with about 500,000 attendees taking part over the last several years. But not even a huge audience could save the show from the government shutdown, with Marine officials confirming Thursday that the event has been canceled. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)

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Members of Congress may continue to be paid during this shutdown of their own making, but at least some of the legislative body’s perks are at least cut off. The congressional private dining room has been shut down, as have its shoe shining service, gym and dry cleaner. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

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The National Zoo’s much-watched Panda Cam, set up to monitor Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and the yet unnamed new cub, went dark Monday night. Now all that panda devotees can spot is an error message, though the pandas will still be cared for by essential Smithsonian staff. (Smithsonian National Zoo / Associated Press)

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NASA’s various social media outreach initiatives have gained a huge number of followers, and many of them are being shut down alongside the government. The popular Asteroid Watch Twitter account freaked out followers with a message that it would no longer be updated, though it later clarified that doesn’t mean the agency is turning a blind eye to the skies. And some, like the agency’s Voyager 2 space probe, were a bit more snarky in their closure announcement. NASA’s Instagram account and NASA.gov are also shut down. (NASA / Getty Images)

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Hopefully you aren’t working on a research paper depending on federal statistics during the shutdown, since many sites, including Census.gov, Data.gov, THOMAS (a database of legislative information) and the Federal Trade Commission, are either limited or shut down entirely until Congress agrees to a compromise. (Library of Congress / Los Angeles Times)

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Want to stop by the Capitol for a tour as Congress tries to hash out a deal? Pop by the National Zoo while on furlough? Camp out in Yosemite to celebrate its 123rd birthday? Try again later, since all but a few of the nation’s federal tourist attractions, including Smithsonian museums and the State of Liberty are shuttered. (Emmanuel Dundand / AFP/Getty Images)

By Mark Z. Barabak

Oct. 3, 2013 11:24 AM PT

After weeks of buildup, Democrat Wendy Davis is set to launch an uphill bid for Texas governor Thursday with a pep-style rally outside Fort Worth.

Davis, 50, a two-term state senator, has built a national following via social media. She sent a Twitter message on Wednesday inviting supporters to her announcement and urging them to “wear comfortable shoes and the colors of the Texas flag (red, white and blue).”

Davis became a national political celebrity in June after leading a filibuster that temporarily blocked passage of strict anti-abortion legislation. She had been talked about for years as a possible candidate for governor, as Democrats struggle to snap a long losing streak in state elections. Her overnight fame catapulted Davis to the party’s fore and helped her collect $1 million in contributions in just a few weeks.

But she will need to raise much more to compete with the frontrunner, Republican state Atty. Gen. Greg Abbott, who is a heavy favorite and already has banked more than $23 million. The two are running to succeed Republican Rick Perry, the longest-serving governor in Texas history, who is stepping aside as he eyes another run for president in 2016.

LIVE UPDATES: Day three of the shutdown

Davis’ announcement was scheduled for Thursday afternoon at a rally at the Haltom City arena where she received her high school diploma. Part of Davis’ political appeal has been her compelling personal story. A struggling single mother who lived for a time in a trailer park, she went on to earn a Harvard law degree before twice winning election in a highly competitive Fort Worth-area district.

Still, she begins the governor’s race as a considerable underdog. Democrats have lost more than 100 straight statewide elections in Texas and have not elected a governor since 1990.

“She’s running under the banner of a party that starts off with, at a minimum, a 10-point disadvantage in statewide races,” said James Henson, who directs the Texas Politics project at the University of Texas in Austin. Davis will not only have to run a near-flawless campaign to win, he said; she needs some luck, too.

“There is no silver bullet,” Henson said. “A lot of things have to happen.”

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Twitter: @markzbarabak

mark.barabak@latimes.com