Mike Stone / Reuters file Texas State Democratic Senator Wendy Davis questions the state's Republican Senator Glenn Hegar, sponsor of HB1, as the state Senate meets to consider legislation restricting abortion rights in Austin, Texas July 12, 2013.

The Texas state senator who gained national attention for a filibuster against statewide abortion restrictions is planning to run for governor in 2014.

Politico and the Associated Press first reported Thursday that Democrat Wendy Davis has told influential party members that she plans to announce the run next week.

She will make the official announcement on October 3 in Haltom City, Texas, at the venue where she received her high school diploma. While aides to the state legislator would not say whether she was officially running, Democratic sources in Texas confirmed the news to NBC Dallas-Fort-Worth.com.

Davis won praise from Democrats after a nearly 13-hour filibuster to try to stop new statewide restrictions on abortion clinics in Texas. The protest delayed but did not ultimately prevent the new regulations from being passed into law.

She has hinted at the on Thursday, tweeting: A week from today, I'm announcing something big. Can you chip in now to show the strength of our grassroots network?

While Davis' candidacy will excite liberals, the 50-year-old will face an uphill battle to win the governor's mansion in Austin. Observers predict she will need to fund raise well into the millions to run a successful campaign in the deeply conservative state.

The current governor, Republican Rick Perry, has announced that he will not run for re-election. The presumptive Republican nominee is Attorney General Greg Abbott.