Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis (D), who became a national political celebrity last month after she waged an ultimately unsuccessful filibuster against a sweeping antiabortion bill, will headline a sold-out fundraiser Thursday night at the U Street bar Local 16.

The event, dubbed "Texans in DC Fundraiser," will attract  300 to  400 people, according to spokeswoman Taylor McCarty.

Some have urged Davis to run for Texas governor now that Gov. Rick Perry (R) is retiring and it will be an open-seat race. She raised nearly $1 million in the last two weeks of June, but that still leaves her far behind Attorney General Greg Abbott, who is running for governor and has a $20 million war chest.

"The event is for Texans in DC, and there are quite a lot of Texans in D.C.," wrote McCarty in an e-mail, adding that the organizers "initially expected a hundred or so people to attend."

Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Tex.), who is a friend of Davis's and represents Fort Worth, will introduce her at the event. The ticket prices are low compared to an average Washington fundraiser, ranging from $50 for an individual to $250 for a gold sponsorship level, along with a $25 student ticket rate.

Davis has hit the party circuit while in town this week, swinging by a book party Wednesday night for Mark Leibovich, author of the just-released critique of Washington's political and media establishment, "This Town."