After leaving Houston before sunrise, White stands outside a Texas airport with a phone to his ear. His ride pulls up, and an F-150 door swings open as a campaign volunteer hops into the back seat to make room. White’s call ends, but the phone rings again before he can put it down. Call lists, itineraries and news clippings are in stacks on the dashboard. The truck is not far from Churchill High School, White’s alma mater. White laughs as he remarks that much has changed since his days at Churchill. The most notable change is the lack of cows and pastures around the campus.

His family roots run deep in the heart of Texas; White’s mother and father, a disabled veteran, raised him in a modest South Side San Antonio home. His first step into politics, in seventh grade, was as a page for State Senator Joe Bernal. White saw firsthand that elected leaders could make a difference and spent summers going door-to-door to register voters after the passage of the Voting Rights Act.

White wants to ensure Texans have the education and training to compete for good jobs in the global economy. That's why he’s running for governor and introducing himself to voters every day.

"I have known [White] for more than 20 years, but I didn't know how talented he was until we had roles as joint mayors," said former San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger. "He's good at growing things and giving back to the community because of his executive [experience], and as an elected official [working with] big companies. White understands the true meaning of business-friendly [means] to build a more perfect union, making Texas achieve its position in the hierarchy of states by succession, not by seceding."

Houston voters appreciated his responsible fiscal policy and business-like approach to city government and re-elected him as Houston’s mayor with margins averaging 88 percent. His tenure brought a new era to Houston politics. Lobbyists were prohibited from getting city contracts – which saved taxpayers millions – and he took on inconvenient problems with a ferocity that few other politicians would have attempted.

November brings a different scenario as White faces an expert career politician. But White is making a case about Texas' future. In 10 years under Governor Rick Perry, Texas has fallen behind in graduation rates and test scores. For the first time, the older generation has a higher level of educational attainment than the one that came after it.

"He would be a governor of inclusion and not division, and that's very, very important," Hardberger said. "We have a chance to elect one of the greatest governors in Texas' history. I'm absolutely certain of it. We don't want to pass this opportunity by."

White, boots on his feet, was born and raised with Texas values. He speaks both English and Spanish, like many of his constituents.

The truck stops; they have arrived at one of the day's many destinations. They are early, but there’s no time to waste, just the same.

Mayor Mark Bowen of Lytle waits near the door of the town's community center. White enters with a smile, shaking hands, answering questions and most importantly, listening. A few professors from the Alamo Colleges approach White with a laundry list of concerns.

"Everyone always questions whether [a politician] really cares or if it's a political gambit," said Executive Director for the Galveston/Houston Association for Smog Prevention Matthew Tejada, who hawkishly studied White's tenure as Houston mayor. "I think it comes from a sincere place with [White]. I've thought about it a lot, and he recognizes there are a lot of communities around the state that have been ignored.”

In these communities, he says, White appreciates and sees not just the business interests, but also the human interests from which “every Texan could benefit.”

Fueled by results, White says excuses are inexcusable. He thinks Texans shouldn’t have to wait for results when there is so much on the line. While Texans are stuck in traffic, Perry’s Texas Department of Transportation lost $1 billion in an error. Much of a governor’s ability to get things done is dependent on appointed officials, and White repeatedly emphasizes that he’d make appointments based on the contributions a person could make to the state, not the contributions they could make to his campaign.

"[White] can absolutely free state employees by letting them simply do their jobs," Tejada said. "Getting the state agencies to [stop] defending interests not in their service, playing by the rules, and actually get them to do their job."

White and his crew are back in the truck. He throws out ideas like a pitcher throws baseballs, with two pairs of hands rapidly taking notes in the back seat.

He's challenged the Environmental Protection Agency's flawed measurement methods and won. During six years under White's tenure, most Houstonians experienced a different, better life outside the workplace. Commutes sped up, parks and bike trails flourished, and crime fell to its lowest point in decades. White led all of this with disciplined budgets, cutting tax rates five out of six years.

White looks out the truck's window. They are back in San Antonio. As they drive down Fredericksburg Road, he remembers his parents used to have an apartment in the area.

"I know [White’s father] and his beliefs, so I will look at this election very hard," said longtime Judson High School Coach and Texas High School Sports Hall of Fame inductee Frank Arnold, who played Little League under the elder White. "He influenced my life from a standpoint of doing things right, making the right decisions [and] keeping values and integrity. [Do] the correct thing, be punctual, treat people like you want to be treated and take responsibility. He was demanding, yet you knew he cared about you."

White, again on the phone, finishes a call as the truck pulls up to a local television station. Inside, the news and sports staff members focus on their show, only glimpsing up for a moment to see who's just arrived.

Although some mistake his calm demeanor for a lack of charisma, it's really humility he possesses – something rare among those running for governor. Forever optimistic, he campaigns throughout the state with a tired body, his shoulders burdened, and his resources limited; yet he remains upbeat and positive. It's time for leadership and accountability to lead the lone star to its shining state.