Texas Democratic official urges Biden to visit state: ‘I thought he had his own plane’

Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden not traveling to Western states because of the pandemic was a “pretty lame excuse,” adding, “I thought he had his own plane.”

“He doesn’t have to sit with one space between another person on a commercial airline like I would,” Hinojosa told the Associated Press, arguing Biden should prioritize visits to Texas and Arizona to boost Latino voter turnout on Election Day.

The contrast between Biden and Trump’s campaign strategy is stark 39 days until Election Day.

Since his Aug. 11 selection of Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Biden has gone 22 days when he either did not appear publicly, held only virtual fundraisers, or left his home in Delaware to attend church, an AP analysis of his schedules found.

“We are campaigning safely and effectively, and our message is reaching voters in battleground states and generating the enthusiasm and energy we need to beat Donald Trump,” Biden spokesman TJ Ducklo told the AP.

In the same time frame, the AP found that President Trump has taken 24 trips to 17 different states. 

Trump has increasingly held rallies around the country as he tries to drive out his supporters and turn around his standing in polls. He held a campaign event in Atlanta on Friday as polls show a tight race in Georgia. 

The Texas Democratic Party’s Communications director Abhi Rahman argued while Biden has remained physically displaced from the state, the former vice president has invested in Texas more than any Democratic presidential candidate in the past 25 years.

“Poll after poll shows that Texas is the biggest battleground state … Joe Biden is being safe, and the campaign is still reaching out to millions of Texans,” Rahman told The Hill.

He cited the California vs. Texas lawsuit being held before the Supreme Court, which seeks to upend the Obama-era Affordable Care Act that would strip 23.3 million Americans of their health coverage.

“Texans know how Donald Trump has failed them and how he has taken Texans’ votes for granted every chance he has gotten,” Rahman added.