AUSTIN (Nexstar) — With recent polling putting presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden ahead of Donald Trump in Texas, Democrats in the Lone Star state are hoping to carry this momentum through the November general election.
“We know Texas is in play this upcoming November,” State Rep. Victoria Neave (D-Dallas) said. “We have to work hard. We want to work to earn every single vote for Joe Biden to win Texas.”
Neave was part of the panel in the Biden campaign’s virtual event Friday, called “Texas Todos con Biden Charla.”
Meanwhile, early Friday evening, the Trump campaign hosted an in-person MAGA Meetup in Central Texas.
“People want to come out, and people, again, you have all the precautions that are in place with the CDC guidelines, but folks want to be energized,” Texas GOP Chairman Allen West said.
West said Texas has become a battleground, because the opposition has made it one, pointing largely to out-of-state donations from Democrats to ad campaigns. But, he said he still thinks Republican values will win Texans over.
“I think there’s a clear-cut choice. People here in Texas want safety, they want security, they want a strong economy. They want a strong oil and gas industry. I don’t understand why anyone would vote for someone that says we’re not going to drill,” West said.
Democrats think Texans are ready for change, however, Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales said in Friday’s virtual panel.
“Working with Vice President Biden, under our past administration, the issues of resiliency and energy resiliency matter to him, the issues of health care and trying to break the cycle of the social determinants of poverty matter,” Canales said.
Earlier this week, the Biden campaign announced its first hires for its team in Texas.
“They are battle-tested, they are ready to roll, like they know what it takes to win Texas this upcoming November,” Neave said.
But West isn’t worried.
“I invite them to come down to Texas. I got some great barbecue places I can recommend, but they’re gonna waste a lot of money here,” West said.
