Texas DNC delegates to meet about supporting Kamala Harris after Biden’s exit

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A virtual meeting will happen Monday evening for the Texans selected to go to the Democratic National Convention (DNC), and one of the big topics of discussion will focus on whether they’d like to coalesce ahead of time and pledge their support for Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s nominee.

Three Austin area delegates told KXAN they’re expecting to jump onto a call at 7:30 p.m. Whether any announcement would follow that meeting is unclear. It’s the first time they’re all talking as a group, though, since President Joe Biden dropped a political bombshell Sunday announcing he would end his reelection campaign .

State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, an Austin Democrat serving as a superdelegate at the convention, said Monday she’s following Biden’s lead to support Vice President Kamala Harris for president.

“I have been involved in the conventions in the past, and I’ll tell you frankly, usually, they’re pretty boring affairs. This one is not going to be boring,” Eckhardt said. “It’s going to be history-making, history-making in a really positive way.”

Texas Democrats are sending a total of 273 delegates to the DNC, which officially begins Aug. 19 in Chicago. Angel Carroll, a first-time delegate from Williamson County, said she would like all of the state’s delegates to publicly back Harris before they head to the convention.

“That is most definitely my hope,” Carroll said. “We are less than 100 days away from early voting. We have some catching up to do. We have some work to do.”

She said there’s a lot more momentum and energy, though, in a potential Harris candidacy, pointing to reports about an eye-popping number of donations. A spokesperson said Monday afternoon the campaign raised $81 million in 24 hours , setting a new fundraising record for a one-day haul.

“But we have to all align quickly, coalesce behind [Harris] and start hitting the streets and making sure that folks know who and what is on the ballot,” Carroll said. “I think she’s gonna give President Trump a run for his money, and I look forward to watching it.”

As of Monday afternoon, no major Democrat has entered the race to challenge Harris for the party’s nomination. That’s why another first-time DNC delegate, Daniel Ayala of Hays County, said it appears the vice president is the most likely person to lead the top of the ticket.

“I fully support Vice President Harris to be the new nominee,” Ayala explained. “By that same token, I want to make sure that we run things in an open, transparent manner and allow for folks to come in, right, because the cards the way they seem to be falling right now, it’s going to be Kamala Harris’s job, right? But you can’t just crown someone. You have to let it go through democratically. You have to let the process see itself through for that to happen, which I have no doubt it will happen that way. It just needs to allow itself to happen.”

Ayala said he already spoke to a couple of Texas Democratic Party leaders and got assurances there would be no mandate for delegates to support Harris, which he appreciates.

“I like that our party is understanding that we’re not here to just be told what to do, right, that we have a voice and it matters,” Ayala added.

Eckhardt explained how the voting will work on the convention floor when the delegates select both a presidential and vice presidential nominee.

“We will go into the convention with individuals who have already pledged to Harris, and then we will have our first ballot vote, I imagine will probably decide on the first ballot,” Eckhardt said. “As a superdelegate, I wouldn’t vote until a second ballot if the first ballot doesn’t produce a nominee, but I feel very confident that the first ballot is going to produce a nominee.”

Several other state parties already announced their DNC delegates met Sunday and decided to pledge support for Harris as a bloc. Depending on what happens Monday night, perhaps the Texas Democrats could be the next group to do the same thing.

Texas has the third largest amount of delegates following California and New York. Where their support goes could help tip the scales if multiple candidates declare they’re challenging Harris for the nomination.

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