Democrats haven't won a Texas governor's race in nearly three decades, but a booming Hispanic population and the party's dominance of the state's largest cities have made them willing to invest in the contest to keep hopes of an eventual resurgence alive.

After high-profile candidates lost decisively in the last two elections, though, the party now finds itself in unprecedented territory for the 2018 ballot: with no major candidate to run.

Democratic leaders haven't yet lined up a substantial name to represent the party and its message despite months of trying. Any continued faith in a Democratic turnaround in Texas is now colliding with pessimism that it will happen anytime soon.

"If they didn't have somebody running for governor it'd be a symbol that they've given up," said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston.

And the lack of a serious 2018 candidate, following the dismal showing of the Democrats in the 2010 and 2014 governor's races, could make it harder to capitalize later if the political climate improves, as the party expects.

"You run the risk of looking irrelevant," Rottinghaus said.