Several Democrat members of Speaker Dade Phelan’s leadership team have endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for President, following an announcement by President Joe Biden this weekend stating he would not accept his party’s nomination for a second term.
A joint statement from the Texas House Democrat Caucus released late Monday revealed that 57 of the House’s 64 Democrats are endorsing Harris for the Democrat nomination.
Among the endorsers are several Democrats appointed by Phelan to lead key committees in the House, including:
- Victoria Neave Criado (D–Dallas) Chair of the County Affairs Committee
- Joe Moody (D–El Paso) Chair of the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee
- Harold Dutton (D–Houston) Chair of the Juvenile Justice & Family Issues Committee
- Senfronia Thompson (D–Houston) Chair of the Select Committee on Youth Health and Safety
“This is a moment that will define the future of our districts, our state, and our country. This is a moment that needs a leader with vision and conviction. This is a moment for Kamala Harris,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter.
Despite the House’s Republican majority, Phelan has continued to appoint Democrats to powerful committee chair positions, even as a majority of his own party members have expressed their opposition to supporting a speaker next session who empowers Democrats.
Harris, meanwhile, has reportedly secured a majority of delegates to the Democrat National Convention, making her the presumptive nominee to face off against former President Donald Trump in November.