Castro, Warren, Harris to speak at Texas Democratic virtual convention

Former 2020 Democratic presidential contenders Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Kamala Harris (Calif.), and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro will speak at the Texas Democratic Party’s virtual state convention in June. 

“Their hard work and leadership as elected officials and former presidential candidates pushed our party and our country forward, and we are thrilled that they will be joining us at our convention,” the party’s chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said in a statement on Wednesday. 

Castro also served as the mayor of San Antonio.

Warren and Harris are among the women former Vice President Joe Biden is considering for his running mate. 

Hinojosa went on to tout Democratic efforts to flip Texas blue up and down the ballot in November. 

“Texas is the biggest battleground state in the country. We will win the White House, take out John Cornyn, elect more Texas Democrats to Congress, break the supermajority in the Texas Senate, take back the Texas House, and win hundreds of local races across the state,” he said. “Together, we will win up and down the ballot.”

The convention will take place during the first week of June when the state’s 228 delegates will be elected to represent the Lone Star State at the Democratic National Convention in August. 

The virtual gathering could set an example for how other state parties will hold their conventions amid the coronavirus pandemic. The party will conduct the gathering on two channels — one dedicated to party business, like voting, and the other for guest speakers and performers. Voting preferences will be submitted over Google Forms.