In need of someone to lead the top of the 2018 ticket, Democrats are trying to persuade U.S. Rep. Joaquín Castro to run for Texas governor.

"He and others are considering it," Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa told The Dallas Morning News. "It's a very big decision for him. It would require him to leave his safe seat in the U.S. House, where he's a rising star."

Castro, who will turn 43 on Saturday, has represented the 20th Congressional District since 2013. He served 10 years in the Texas House. He had not responded to requests for comment as of Thursday afternoon.

Texas Democrats have been in search of a 2018 candidate for governor in hopes of beating incumbent Republican Greg Abbott and boosting down-ballot candidates in the Texas Senate and House.

Hinojosa said Democrats hope to compete in 15 to 20 Texas House contests, as well as three congressional seats with Republican incumbents.

"All these races would be helped by a strong candidate at the top of the ticket," Hinojosa said.

But analysts say Castro is unlikely to run for governor because there's not a clear path to victory for Democrats, who have not won a statewide race in Texas since 1994.

Earlier this year, Castro was considering running against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz for Senate, but he decided against a campaign after Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, emerged as a serious contender for the Democratic nomination.

Reps. Joaquin Castro and Beto O'Rourke wave to the crowd during Mega March in front of Dallas City Hall in Dallas on April 9. Castro is reportedly considering a run for Texas governor. (Vernon Bryant / Staff Photographer)

Castro appeared destined to run for re-election to the House, but Texas Democrats approached him late this summer and asked him to be the party's standard-bearer against Abbott.

Several Democrats have passed on running for governor, including Rep. Rafael Anchia of Dallas.

Hinojosa said he doesn't know which way Castro was leaning.

"I won't comment on conversations I've had with potential candidates," he said.

Matt Angle, director of the Democratic research group the Lone Star Project, said Castro's deliberations might lead him to run for re-election, not governor. But he said Democrats will still field a strong challenger.

"We will have a candidate for governor that Democrats can feel good about," he said. "Whether they will have a path to victory, I don't know."

Having Castro run for governor would be a coup for Democrats.

Several years ago, Castro's twin brother, former Housing Secretary and former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro, was being primed as a contender against Abbott.

But Julián Castro has opted against challenging Abbott, who was elected in 2014 after beating former state Sen. Wendy Davis, then of Fort Worth, by 20 percentage points.

Hinojosa acknowledged that the clock was ticking on a decision, since the filing period for primary election candidates closes in December.

"The more time the party has to prepare for a statewide race, the better it will be for us," he said.