Andrew White, son of late Gov. Mark White, explores 2018 gubernatorial campaign

Texas Elections 2018

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz defeated Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke in the race for U.S. Senate. View full 2018 Texas election results or subscribe to The Brief for the latest election news.

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Andrew White, the son of late Gov. Mark White, is mulling a run for governor as a Democrat in 2018. 

White, a Houston investor, told The Texas Tribune on Tuesday that he is going on a "social media listening tour" before making a decision about whether to challenge Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. He said he expects the process to take three or four weeks. 

White said he never had a desire to enter politics, but that began to change after the death of his father earlier this year and then Hurricane Harvey. Describing himself as a "very conservative Democrat," White suggested he would run a campaign appealing to Texans who are fed up with policymaking exclusively aimed at the Republican primary electorate.

"Most Texans don’t care about the bathroom bill, and when you call a special session ... for the bathroom bill, you know you’ve got a problem with your leadership, and it’s repulsive," White said, referring to a controversial proposal to regulate which restroom transgender Texans can use.

Texas has not elected a Democrat to statewide office in over two decades — and White would face an uphill battle against Abbott, who has built a staggering war chest for his re-election bid. White said he was undaunted. 

"With 40 million bucks," White said, "you still can't buy people's votes." 

The clock is ticking for Texas Democrats to find a serious gubernatorial candidate, with the filing period beginning Nov. 11 and running through Dec. 11. Among the Democrats who have already announced they are challenging Abbott are Jeffrey Payne, a businessman from Dallas, and Tom Wakely, a former congressional candidate from San Antonio.

White first spoke with Texas Monthly on Tuesday about possibly running for governor. He launched a website later in the day soliciting input on a potential run.