Do you have a dynamic personality? Can you raise money and mobilize people in support of a cause? Do you mind eating bad food and making the same speech over and over again?

If you answered yes to at least one of these questions, you could be the Texas Democratic Party's 2018 candidate for governor.

Yes, even you.

Texas Democrats are looking for a candidate to challenge incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and help lead a slate of candidates in what could be a pivotal election year.

Since last year's stunning election of Donald Trump, Democrats have been mobilizing to resist the new president's policies and turn their new-found energy into victories in the 2018 midterm contests. Texas Democrats hope that Trump, unpopular outside of his base, will be the tonic they need to finally win a statewide contest and make electoral gains elsewhere in the state, including North Texas.

Manny Garcia, deputy executive director for the Texas Democratic Party, says 2018 will be the midterm election of a lifetime, a watershed year for his party and progressives in the Lone Star State.

But Democratic operatives are having a dickens of a time persuading a legitimate candidate to be the party's standard bearer in the race for governor, the most watched contest of the midterm season.

If Democrats can't find a good candidate, they risk squandering the energy and resources developed this year, at least when it comes to seizing the Governor's Mansion for the first time since Ann Richards won it in 1990.

Garcia, who has been asked enough questions about candidates for governor to irritate him, is telling folks to relax. He says it's still early, pointing out that recent Democratic Party nominees didn't announce their campaigns until the fall. Meanwhile, Abbott could announce his re-election bid later this week.

"We are talking to several people, and we will have a candidate," Garcia said. "We're looking for a candidate who can connect with Texas voters and energize the base."

Garcia said it is important to have a likable person at the top of the ticket who can maintain an "authentic voice."

"That's hard to find," he said.

Democrats also need a strong candidate for lieutenant governor and several other statewide contests.

Several big-name Democrats have opted against a 2018 race for governor. This was the year that former U.S. Housing Secretary and former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro was supposed to make a long-anticipated campaign for governor. He declined.

Other leaders have not stepped up. Rep. Rafael Anchia of Dallas and former Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer of San Antonio at this point won't be in the statewide mix in 2018, though both have been mentioned and approached for statewide candidacies.

So Democrats are on the lookout for out-of-box candidates.

But a guy like Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has a taste for presidential politics. Doubt that he would consider it.

Trump has shown us that reality stars can win in politics.

So how about reaching out to Dallas lawyer Rachel Lindsay, the star of this season's The Bachelorette? Her dad, Sam Lindsay, is a federal judge. I bet she can get 40 percent of the vote.

Given that Democrats are out of power, it's not surprising they don't have a long list of champions to slate.

Gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis cried as she talked about her supporters during an election night watch party at Times Ten Cellars in Fort Worth on Nov. 4, 2014. She is pictured with her daughter Dru Davis, mother Ginger Russell, sister Jennifer James, brother Joey Russell and daughter Amber Davis. (File Photo / Staff )

The last time Democrats had a candidate run for governor with experience with statewide campaigns was in 1998, when former Land Commissioner Garry Mauro lost to incumbent George W. Bush, who went on to become president.

What followed Mauro were candidates with some talent but also flaws and limited statewide appeal.

Laredo businessman Tony Sanchez's value was that he spent over $60 million on his largely self-financed campaign. He didn't come close to winning on the so-called Democratic Party "dream ticket" in 2002, but he fattened the wallet of a lot of consultants.

In 2006 few Texans outside of Houston knew former U.S. Rep. Chris Bell, who finished second in a race that featured incumbent Republican Rick Perry and independents Carole Keeton Strayhorn and Kinky Friedman.

Former Houston Mayor Bill White was a brilliant fundraiser and business Democrat, but in 2010 couldn't electrify his base.

And in 2014 former state Sen. Wendy Davis decided to run for governor after her filibuster temporary stalled an anti-abortion bill that mandated severe restrictions to clinics that also provided women's health services. Despite a lot of national attention for those pink sneakers and lots of money and help from the newly created Battleground Texas, Davis never found her voice.

Since 1994, the last time Democrats won statewide office, Republicans have nominated for governor Bush, Perry and Abbott — all veterans of statewide campaigns.

Republicans have a structural advantage in Texas, and that scares Democrats with potential to be statewide candidates.

It shouldn't.

In the race for Senate, U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke of El Paso is giving up a House seat to challenge the re-election of Ted Cruz. Democrats are already excited about his campaign. Even if he loses, his effort becomes a building block.

Yes, donors tend to shy away from candidates who lose badly in elections, but you can't win or make progress unless you try. That means the existing Democratic Party talent should not fear losing, and their backers should not punish them with banishment if they come up short.

It's no longer good enough for would-be Democratic Party candidates to complain about the policies of their Republicans rivals.

Next year they have a chance to do something about it.