Democrats are meeting in Chicago on Monday for their national convention, hoping to continue the wave of enthusiasm for their newly formed presidential candidacy with Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz.
Even though Texans are not expected to have a large prime-time presence at the four-day Democratic Party Convention, the Lone Star State is still likely to play an important role.
From local elections to the presidency, Democrats across the country are campaigning on issues that are big issues in Texas politics, including reproductive rights, gun policy, diversity programs and LGBTQ issues.
Unlike the Republican convention in Milwaukee last month, Texas will play the role of the villain on political issues.
“Unfortunately, under Republican leadership, Texas has become a kind of beta laboratory for the worst policy ideas that then sweep the entire country,” said Lisa Turner, state director of the Lone Star Project, a Democratic research group.
“When you look at the Democratic National Convention and the Texans that will be there and the messages that will be delivered, I’m sure this will resonate with every Texan because we are living it,” Turner said.
The convention will be a rallying cry for Democrats, even in Texas, where they haven’t won a statewide election since 1994 and a presidential election since 1976. Turner says enthusiasm for the Harris-Walz contingent is boundless, which could give Texans a boost in lower-ballot elections.
“It’s a very different kind of energy. It’s an energy that can’t wait to get to the polls,” Turner said. “It’s the combination of a very successful woman running for president and America’s dad, the nicest person you could ever meet, running for vice president at a time when you don’t see much nice politics.”
Rice University political scientist Mark Jones expects the focus on abortion-related issues will put Texas and its near-total abortion ban in the spotlight. References to guns and health care could also affect Texas, which has loosened gun laws in recent years and has the highest rate of uninsured residents in the country.
“Because Texas’ abortion legislation is so far removed from the general public, even for Texas, Democrats can easily use it to paint a picture of what life would essentially be like if Republicans got their way and essentially had free rein to govern the country,” Jones said.
Democrats in Texas are relieved that Harris replaced President Joe Biden in the election, Jones said, expressing their energy at the party convention.
“If you’re a Democrat in a light blue district or a light blue county, you can breathe a sigh of relief,” he said. “Harris assures you that your core constituency is turning out normal or slightly above average. If you’re a Democrat in those areas, that’s all you need.”
Democrats in Republican-leaning Texas districts may be nervous about the convention and Harris and Walz’s policies on energy and other issues that could anger Texans, Jones said.
“It’s easier for your opponent to associate you with a progressive coastal resident,” Jones said.
The Texas delegates heading to Chicago say they are excited to see history unfold. Harris is the first black woman to be nominated as a major political party’s presidential candidate.
“That was the real reason I wanted to be there in person,” said state Rep. Rhetta Andrews Bowers (D-Rowlett). “Hearing firsthand and up close and personal as the first African-American woman is nominated to be president of the United States will be an inspiring, historic moment that will fill us with pride.”
Abortion in the spotlight
Democrats see the fight for abortion rights as a promising issue and often point to the stories of Texas women who were denied medically necessary abortions to support their arguments.
Lauren Miller of Dallas, who testified at a U.S. Senate hearing in June that she had to leave the state for an abortion, plans to be a delegate in Chicago.
One of her twins was diagnosed with severe, fatal abnormalities that threatened the health of the healthy twin and Miller’s health. Texas doctors were hesitant to even discuss options, so Miller traveled to Colorado for an abortion in October 2022.
The other twin is a happy, healthy 1-year-old child, Miller said.
In a recent interview with The Dallas Morning NewsMiller praised the Harris-Walz campaign’s focus on protecting abortion rights, noting that Harris was the first vice president to visit an abortion clinic and that Walz worked to protect abortion access as governor of Minnesota.
Miller said she and other Texas women could send a strong message about the consequences of a campaign against former President Donald Trump, whose nomination of three conservative Supreme Court justices provided the space needed to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“What happened in Texas and in all these states with abortion bans will become a national issue if Donald Trump is elected,” Miller said. “Everyone across the country needs to realize that if there is someone in their life who can get pregnant, their life is on the line in November.”
Speakers from Texas could include Colin Allred from Dallas
Harris’ acceptance speech is scheduled for Thursday evening and Walz’s for Wednesday.
President Biden, former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are also expected to deliver speeches during the convention, but the party has not yet released a full list of speakers.
Texas Democrats will play different roles at the convention, and some may speak from the main stage, including Democrat Colin Allred of Dallas, who is running against Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas in November.
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, Democrat of El Paso, is national co-chair of the Harris-Walz campaign, a role she took over from the Biden-Harris campaign. U.S. Reps. Marc Veasey of Fort Worth and Jasmine Crockett of Dallas plan to attend various events throughout the week.
Allred has tried to keep his fight against Cruz as far away from the presidential election as possible, making it instead a referendum on the incumbent. As Democrats debated Biden’s fate after Biden’s poor performance at the June debate, Allred said it was up to the president whether to continue his re-election effort.
A speech by Allred at the convention would likely highlight arguments against Cruz, whose speech at the Republican convention last month focused on Biden’s immigration policies and made no mention of his campaign against Allred.
Delegates are enthusiastic
Democratic delegates could be forgiven for feeling whiplash after the past six weeks, which have seen Biden’s disastrous performance in the debates, the assassination attempt on Trump, the selection of U.S. Senator JD Vance of Ohio as Trump’s vice presidential candidate, and an energetic and united Republican convention in Milwaukee.
While Democrats debated whether to replace Biden as their nominee, Republicans emerged from their convention with new momentum.
Passion Jackson, a delegate from Dallas, said it was briefly disheartening when Biden announced the end of his re-election campaign.
“I didn’t know what direction we were going to go,” Jackson said. “As soon as he endorsed Vice President Harris, I felt like the clouds broke and lifted and I could see the vision.”
Jackson is excited to attend her first convention in person since 2004 and plans to attend meetings of the Black Caucus and Women’s Caucus, as well as other events.
She was a delegate to the 2020 virtual convention, but said connecting with other Democrats via video conference does not generate the same energy as in-person contact.
The Texas delegation meets daily for traditional breakfast meetings, which are expected to include Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and former U.S. Senator Doug Jones of Alabama.
The traditional roll call vote of state delegations will be ceremonial in nature after delegates voted online for Harris as their nominee earlier this month.
“We’ve done the most important part of our job before we even get there,” Jackson said.
