President Joe Biden on Sunday announced his withdrawal from the presidential race, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.
Delegates in South Texas and San Antonio are following Biden’s lead, pledging their vote for Harris before the Democratic National Convention in August.
Harris will need the support of most of the democratic delegates at the DNC, which will be held in Chicago. According to the Associated Press, more than 700 pledged delegates told the AP or announced plans to support Harris at the convention, which exceeds one-third of the pledged delegates she needs in order to clinch the nomination and run against former president Donald Trump.
The Bexar County Democratic Party, Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert, Congressmen Joaquin Castro, Henry Cuellar and Greg Casar have endorsed Harris for President. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar and Mayor Ron Nirenberg have also voiced their support for the vice president.
Nirenberg, who has been in close communication with Harris recently, helping her launch the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) voter outreach initiative, will attend the DNC in Chicago.
“There is no better candidate to defend our freedoms against Trump’s warped vision for America. I will be proud to cast my vote as a national delegate for Kamala Harris,” Nirenberg wrote on X on Monday.
Texas’ five Democratic National Delegates and newly elected State Democratic Executive Committee members from Texas’ District 21 also announced they backed Harris “unequivocally.”
“It is with honor and urgency that we, the Democratic National Delegates from the 21st Congressional District of Texas, support Vice President Kamala Harris for the nomination of President of the United States,” reads a letter posted on X.
The letter is signed by local delegates, including Laura Bray of Kendall County, Lucy Johnson of Hays County, Gabrien Gregory of Bexar County, Abel Jaimes and Graham Nessler of Gillespie County, and newly elected SDEC members Claudia Zapata and Gabriel Garcia.
But even with delegates’ support, “anything can happen” between now and when the roll call vote is held at the DNC, said Gabrien Gregory, a national delegate and former Texas House District 121 candidate.
“The reason we’re supporting Kamala Harris is because we believe there is no time to conduct a full-blown, mini primary process. It’s time to unite behind a qualified, capable, experienced democrat, and Kamala Harris is the person that represents all of those variables in our party,” Gregory said on Monday.
The Texas House Democratic Caucus also endorsed Harris on Monday.
State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer said in the statement that “our state and our caucus looks like America, and we stand ready to elect Kamala Harris as President of the United States and deliver for working families all across this nation. Let’s win this.”
Local state representatives Diego Bernal, Liz Campos and Josey Garcia also signed the letter.
As of Monday morning, Harris had already gained the support of Nancy Pelosi and several state governors and over 250 democratic mayors. Many of the candidates that had talked about potentially running for president are also lining up to support her.
Gregory added more officials, and activists from the Texas Delegation would most likely also follow Biden’s lead and show full support for Harris after a Monday evening Texas delegation meeting: “I would be surprised if we do not follow that lead and show our full support for Kamala Harris as well,” he said.
Calling for an open convention
Some state delegates have called for an open convention, but local delegates say her nomination still leaves an open and fair convention process — anyone can throw their hat in the ring for democratic nominee.
“There are checks and balances in place for occasions like this one,” Gregory said—Anyone the national delegates vote for would be representative of the people who elected them to that position.
“I would hope that other national delegates are gathering input from their constituents they represent in their district. I would dismiss any notions that the process we’re going through isn’t democratic. People making the decision have been elected by their constituents,” Gregory said.
Who will Harris choose for VP?
Local delegates didn’t speculate on who Harris would choose as her running mate before the DNC, but expressed they would support whoever she picked.
“As democrats, we’re going to support whoever the presidential nominee selects as their running mate,” said Robert Vargas III, president of Texas Stonewall Democrats, the LGBTQ+ Caucus of the Democratic Party and spokesperson for Monica Alcántara, chairwoman of the Bexar County Democratic Party.
“We’re excited to see Harris take on Donald Trump,” Vargas said. “I believe that she’s going to treat him as the petulant, tantrum-throwing bully that we all know him to be, as she’s best poised to take him on in November, and we’re excited to see her do so.”
Nirenberg’s office did not respond on whether or not he’s been approached to be Harris’ running mate.
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Early voting for the presidential election starts on Oct. 21 and runs through Nov. 1.
This story has been updated to clarify Robert Vargas III‘s title.
