Updated at 11:10 a.m. with a statement from the Texas Democratic Party.
Vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris will be in Texas on Friday to campaign, campaign officials said.
Harris will visit Fort Worth on the final day of early voting, as well as McAllen and Houston.
The Biden-Harris campaign made the announcement officially Wednesday, though sources had leaked news of the visit to the state earlier in the week to the Texas Tribune. The campaign has not yet released additional details about the visit.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will not be with Harris on the trip.
The news of Harris' visit may be more proof that Texas has turned into a battleground state.
The Lone Star State has been reliably Republican for years, but Texas Democrats called it "the biggest battleground state in the country" in a statement about Harris' visit.
“Senator Harris visiting this late in the game shows the significance of Texas and is the game-changer Texas Democrats need to put us over the top," Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa and Vice Chair Dr. Carla Brailey said in the statement.
The Lincoln Project recently told WFAA's political podcast Y'all-itics the group of Republicans would be spending millions of dollars in the last days of the election to try to flip Texas in support of the Biden-Harris ticket.
The group is also expecting some support from what a co-founder called “deep MAGA country.”
“You can’t get to dead heats in Texas unless you’re losing, deteriorating with Republicans. You just can’t,” Mike Madrid said on Y’all-itics.
To listen to the full conversation on the episode of Y'all-itics, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher
Billionaire Michael Bloomberg is also investing $15 million in ad buys across Texas and Ohio for the Biden-Harris campaign after he was presented with tight polling data, The Texas Tribune reported.
A number of close down-ballot races across Texas are being watched as well, particularly a number of state House races in North Texas.
Gov. Greg Abbott came to North Texas about a week ago to help state Rep. Craig Goldman campaign in Benbrook.
Goldman, a Republican, has represented District 97 in the state legislature since 2012. The district covers the southwestern portion of Tarrant County and includes Benbrook and part of Fort Worth.
Goldman won re-election in 2018 with 53.2% of the vote. He is facing Democratic challenger Elizabeth Beck and Libertarian challenger Rod Wingo as Goldman seeks his fifth term.
The governor has been getting involved in a number of state House races across Texas as Democrats push to flip nine seats to take the majority in November while Republicans work to maintain their seats.
Democrats picked up 12 seats in 2018 but remained nine seats short of the majority in the 150-member House, according to The Texas Tribune.
Abbott's campaign is spending millions to help down-ballot candidates like Goldman, The Texas Tribune has reported. A national Democratic super PAC has responded in kind, doubling its spending to $12 million in the state in the final weeks, according to the Tribune.
Several state House seats in the Dallas-Fort Worth area could factor into who gains control of the body.
Back in February, Everytown for Gun Safety announced it would spend $8 million in Texas during the 2020 election as well. Everytown told WFAA it believes the below North Texas races, in addition to District 97, could be competitive.
Collin County
District 67
Democrats are surging spending in this race, according to the Tribune. The district is in Collin County and covers parts of Allen, Plano and Richardson. Republican Jeff Leach won the seat in 2018 with 51.1% of the vote. He's facing a challenge from Democrat Lorenzo Sanchez.
District 66
This district includes part of Dallas and Plano in Collin County. Rep. Matt Shaheen is the third-term incumbent and is running against Demcorat Sharon Hirsch and Libertarian Shawn Jones. Shaheen narrowly won the district in 2018 against Hirsch.
Dallas County
District 108
District 108 in Dallas County goes from Uptown to University Park and is currently held by Republican Rep. Morgan Meyer. He narrowly beat out his current challenger Joanna Cattanach in 2018 by 220 votes.
District 112
Another race to watch is District 112 in Dallas County, which covers parts of Dallas and Richardson, among other cities. Republican Rep. Angie Chen Button was first elected to the seat in 2008 but is facing a challenge from Democrat Brandy Chambers. Libertarian Shane Newsom is also in the race.
Denton County
District 64
This district covers part of Denton County and includes Corinth, Denton, Krum and Lake Dallas, among other cities. Republican Lynn Stucky was first elected to represent the district in 2016 and is seeking re-election this year against Democrat Angela Brewer.
Tarrant County
District 93
This district includes parts of Arlington, Fort Worth, Haltom City and Haslet. Republican Matt Krause is seeking a fifth term against Democrat Lydia Bean.
District 94
This district includes part of Arlington and all of Dalworthington Gardens and Pantego. Republican Tony Tinderholt is the incumbent seeking a fourth term. He is facing challenges from Democrat Alisa Simmons and Libertarian Jessica Pallett.
