Has Wendy Davis helped or hurt Democrats in Texas?

Nonetheless, Davis has raised more than $30 million, a staggering amount of money for a Texas Democrat. Her star-power was such that it brought in contributions from the likes of Barbra Streisand and Steven Spielberg. Abbott, however, retains a significant financial advantage, entering the final month of the campaign with about five times as much money on hand as Davis.

Davis also stands to benefit from the organizing efforts of Battleground Texas, a longer-term initiative that predates her campaign and that is sharing resources with it. The group was founded by Jeremy Bird, who directed the spectacularly successful field operation for President Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.

Together, the two endeavors claim to have built an army of 32,000 volunteers and deputized 8,600 voter registrars. In Houston’s Harris County, they say Democrats have more staff on the ground than the party counted in the entire state in 2010. They also have invested in state-of-the-art analytic tools and in updating voter files.

“Wendy wants to leave something behind” after the campaign is over, said one Davis aide, who asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to speak for the campaign. “Battleground will continue to pick up the flag and move forward.”