Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway is backing Farouk Shami, the deep-pocketed underdog Democrat, for governor.

"After hearing his message about jobs, economic development and helping the smaller people, I decided to support him," Caraway said Friday. "He's very sincere. He's saying the things we need to hear."

Caraway, whose City Council district includes some of Dallas' poorest areas, said former Houston Mayor Bill White did not seek his endorsement.

Of Shami's odds of winning, Caraway said: "He's got just about as good of a chance as anybody else."

Caraway announced his endorsement Friday night at a dinner given by the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance.