The Houston Chronicle reports on the growing need to find suitable Democrats to fill the statewide ticket. As the Democratic establishment has largely reached the consensus that Wendy Davis is running for Governor, the conversation has now shifted onto who will be running for Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Land Commissioner, Agriculture Commissioner, Comptroller & Railroad Commission, as well as 3 seats on the Court of Criminal Appeals and 4 seats on the Supreme Court.

The Chronicle article mentions Mike Collier, a local businessman who is running as a Democrat for Comptroller, as the only declared Democrat. However, this is untrue, as fmr El Paso Mayor John Cook was announced a run for Land Commissioner. Since that announcement in July, Cook has even created a website for his candidacy.

The article then notes Keith Hampton, a favorite Judicial candidate of mine who run unsuccessfully last year against Sharon Keller. Hampton appeared to rule out another candidacy himself in the near future.

The article then mentioned some names that keep coming up, specifically Leticia Van de Putte for Lieutenant Governor, as well as Royce West, Kirk White and Rafael Anchia. The article must not have done their research, but Anchia is definitely running for re-election. From what I understand, White & West have not ruled out the run themselves, though White’s run would be highly unlikely.

The name that surprised everyone, however, was Carlos Uresti. The State Senator from San Antonio who has served since 2007, previously served five terms in the State House. At a young 50 years of age, he probably has some higher ambitions in him.

When asked by the Chronicle about a possible statewide run, Uresti hinted towards Attorney General. Specifically, he said “Politics is about timing. And I certainly think it’s the right time for the Democratic Party, and for myself as well.” To me, that sounds like someone planning on throwing his hat into the ring. Uresti, like Van de Putte, is not up for re-election in 2014. This means that he would not lose out on his Senate seat if he would lose (an almost certain probability).

The ballot is starting to shape up a little more now, with Davis, Van de Putte Uresti & Cook all at the top of the ticket. Each one is a very powerful figure sure to attract more pull than the average Democratic retread.

Brains & Eggs has more.