Let's say you're a donor to a candidate or an elected official who quits a race mid-campaign or chooses to not run for reelection. What if you made a contribution to one of the nine Texas legislators who decided not to seek reelection this year, or to a former diplomat who toyed with a bid for governor but ultimately thought better of it, or to a tech executive who considered a challenge to a member of Congress but decided against running at the last minute? What happens to your money?

Three Democratic legislators who came out early for Fort Worth's Tom Schieffer in the race for governor say they'll go with Houston Mayor Bill White, who entered the race as Schieffer exited. 

After Houston mayor Bill White joined the race for governor late last week, one of his first stops was Austin, a Democratic stronghold that made for a nice, safe place to start his campaign.

Texas Democrats aren't through with the changes on the statewide ticket. Take a look at this teaser from gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman, issued after Hank Gilbert exited the governor's race, set his heart on being agriculture commissioner, and endorsed Farouk Shami.

They certainly provide daily fodder for campaign news coverage, but there’s no guarantee that endorsements will translate to anything positive for a candidate — let alone an electoral victory.

It's a Bill White-Tom Schieffer-Kinky Friedman-Farouk Shami-Rick Perry mashup to get you caught up on Monday's developments, if you missed them.

How much of Bill White's federal war chest could be used in a race for governor? Most of it.

State Reps. Garnet Coleman of Houston, Jim Dunnam of Waco, Jessica Farrar of Houston and Pete Gallego of Alpine got out early in support of Tom Schieffer, who dropped out of the Democratic primary for governor today. Their statement:

Farouk Shami is staying in the race for governor, Tom Schieffer or no Tom Schieffer, Bill White or no Bill White.

Bill White is the sort of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Schieffer had hoped to be. He's well-funded. He's got an organization and a base of voters. He's the kind of moderate who can attract votes from independents and not just Democrats. And he never voted for George W. Bush.

Democrat Tom Schieffer dropped out of the gubernatorial race, saying he'll endorse Houston Mayor Bill White and hopes other gubernatorial candidates will do the same.

Farouk Shami, a hair stylist turned hair products entrepreneur, will announce his bid for the Democratic nomination for governor this week.

Should the state set limits on political contributions? Depends on which candidate you ask.