Democrat Tom Schieffer has announced that he will drop out of the 2010 Texas gubernatorial election. In a news conference today, Schieffer said, “I frankly found it difficult to raise money. I just couldn’t convince enough people that I could win.”  Schieffer’s campaign has struggled to gain momentum and funding since his campaign began on March 2, exactly one year ahead of the primary.  Schieffer’s withdrawal from the race comes on the heels of U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s announcement that she will not resign her senate seat to run for Governor until after the Republican primary. Hutchison is locked in a primary battle with Gov. Rick Perry.  Hutchison’s announcement coupled with Schieffer’s exit from the race has led to speculation that Houston Mayor Bill White will switch his campaign from a senate race to gubernatorial bid. Currently, White has raised more money than any other democrat running for statewide office.  White has raised more than $6 million in his campaign for the Senate according to the Federal Election Commission records. Of the $6 million, $1.3 million of the money raised was self financed.  Several newspapers are reporting that White and Schieffer met in Houston over the weekend. In an about-face, White is now saying that he will consider switching races. Despite the earlier speculation, White had been persistent that he will run in the special election U.S. Senate when Hutchison vacates her seat. “I’m only running for one thing at a time, and that’s the Senate,” White said in an interview with the Associated Press last week. Schieffer was quick to encourage White to enter the governor’s race. Other democrats are also joining with Scheiffer in encouraging White to switch his campaign.  Schieffer is the brother of CBS News anchor Bob Schieffer and is a former United States ambassador to both Japan and Australia, appointed by friend and former business partner George W. Bush. Due to his relationship with Bush, Schieffer had been criticized by some in the Democratic primary for being too friendly with Republicans. For instance, last month, Democratic rival Hank Gilbert referred to Schieffer as “Democrat-lite” while speaking to St. Edward’s University College Democrats. With Schieffer’s exit, he leaves Gilbert, entertainer Kinky Friedman, schoolteacher Felix Alvarado, and Houston businessman Farouk Shami in the race for the democratic nomination. Garland Therapist Mark Thompson withdrew from the race earlier this month. [email protected]@stedwards.edu