CHICAGO — Texas Democrats and their 273 delegates have gathered in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention. While Texas doesn’t have any statewide elected Democratic officials, Texans do have some key roles at the DNC this week.
The DNC starts Monday and runs through Thursday. WFAA has a crew in Chicago and will be covering the event daily. Here’s our Day One live blog and how to watch and follow along throughout the convention.
Here are some Texans to watch at the DNC.
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar
Escobar, D-El Paso, first took office in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019 and was the first woman elected to represent El Paso and the first of two Latinas from Texas to serve in Congress.
President Joe Biden selected Escobar to serve as a national co-chair on his reelection committee, and Harris has reportedly since asked her to stay on for her campaign.
Escobar will serve as convention co-chair Thursday, as Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to speak and formally accept the party’s nomination for president.
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett
Crockett, D-Dallas, a civil rights attorney and state representative who was elected to replace former longtime Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson in 2022, has since generated national name recognition.
Most recently, Crockett made national headlines for her alliteration-filled back-and-forth with Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia during a House Oversight Committee hearing.
Crockett serves as a national co-chair on Harris’ campaign and is set to speak tonight during Day One of the DNC.
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro
Castro, D-San Antonio, was first elected in 2012, and serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. His twin brother, Julian, is a former Mayor of San Antonio and Secretary of U.S. Housing and Urban Development.
He was the 2013 Co-President for the House freshman Democrats and the Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus for the 116th Congress.
Castro first took the national stage during the closing day of the DNC in 2016.
Castro is an official delegate at the 2024 DNC.
U.S. Rep. Colin Allred
It's unclear if Allred, D-who is running for U.S. Senate against incumbent Republican Ted Cruz, will address the full convention this year, but the Texas Tribune reports he's scheduled to address the Texas delegation this week. More speakers will be added throughout the week.
Allred was first elected to Congress after defeating a longtime Republican incumbent in 2018, and to a third term in 2022.
Allred was the keynote speaker at the Texas Democratic Convention in El Paso earlier this summer.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg
Nirenberg was first elected in 2017 and was elected to a fourth term as San Antonio’s mayor last year.
He has close ties to the Biden White House and was one of a group of South Texas mayors who met with Biden when he visited Brownsville earlier this year.
Nirenberg is an official delegate to the DNC and addressed Texas delegates Monday the first morning of the convention.
Lina Hidalgo
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is the first woman to be elected Harris County Judge. She was first elected in 2018 and was elected to her second term in 2022.
Hidalgo has greeted Harris during her visits to Houston, was among the speakers at the Texas Democratic Convention and is in Chicago for the DNC.
Amanda and Josh Zurawski
The Austin couple made national headlines after Amanda Zurawski found doctors unable to intervene after her water prematurely broke at 18 weeks pregnant due to the Texas abortion ban. Amanda Zurawski developed sepsis and nearly died because of the delay in receiving treatment. Amanda has since been invited to attend the State of the Union address during Biden’s presidency and the couple will speak during Day One of the Democratic National Convention.