Vice President Kamala Harris, who quickly has become the Democratic party’s presumptive nominee for president, will make a campaign stop in Houston on Thursday.
A White House statement says Harris will be in Houston to serve as the keynote speaker at the American Federation of Teachers national convention. Delegates for the teachers’ union voted Monday to endorse Harris’ bid to succeed President Joe Biden and become the first woman and second African American to serve as president of the United States.
Harris last visited Houston in November and was in Dallas earlier this month to deliver a keynote speech at an Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority event.
The 81-year-old Biden announced Sunday he was ending his reelection bid after a poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump, the 78-year-old Republican nominee, and mounting pressure from fellow Democrats. Biden immediately endorsed Harris to be his successor, and the 59-year-old vice president has since rallied support from across the country.
Texas delegates to the Democratic National Convention, scheduled for next month in Chicago, voted Monday night to support Harris. So have delegates from other populous states, with a survey from the Associated Press showing Harris has secured enough support from party delegates to become its presidential nominee.
Delegates still have the option to vote for another Democratic candidate during next month’s convention, according to the AP.
Harris also has been endorsed by the Texas House Democratic Caucus, which includes state lawmakers from the Houston area.
Political scientist Cassandra Khatri of Lone Star College-University Park says the address could help her shore up support with unions ahead of the Democratic National Convention.
“Going towards unions is, especially teachers’ unions, is something that is pretty traditional for Democratic politics, and it helps sort of mobilize voters and consolidate power across the country,’” Khatri said.
Khatri says Harris is also likely to use her visit to meet with state and local Democratic leaders to gauge the groundwork laid by President Biden’s campaign.
“It’s more about shoring up the support of interest groups that would help her to go a long way to being successful at actually clinching the nomination once the convention is held.”
