Biden to close the conference as the party pushes for a win in November

Joe Biden will speak at the Texas Democratic Party’s convention this week, anchoring a lineup of liberal icons as the party pushes to retake the state from Republican control in November.

The former vice president and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee will appear on the last day of the weeklong convention, which begins Monday. It is being held virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Texas Democratic Party also announced Thursday that Beto O’Rourke, the former El Paso congressman who was among those challenging Biden for the nomination, will help close out the event Saturday.

Biden’s March primary win in Texas helped galvanize support around his campaign as he sought to overtake opponents including U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Party leaders believe Texas, long a Republican stronghold, will be newly in play as the campaign moves into the fall.

“Texas is the biggest battleground state in the country,” state

party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa and Vice Chairwoman Carla Brailey said in a statement. “With Joe Biden at the top of the ticket, Texas Democrats will help him win the White House. This is our moment.”

The virtual event, which could be a test run for the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee later this summer, also will feature House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Biden rivals Warren, Kamala Harris and Julián Castro.

U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, also will appear.

The Texas GOP will hold its state convention in-person in Houston in mid-July.

Even before the pandemic, Democrats were hoping to win several U.S. seats in Texas and flip the state House.

The health crisis has thrown an additional spotlight on health care coverage and the future of Texas’ beleaguered oil industry — issues Biden hopes to seize upon in the fall.

A spokeswoman for President Donald Trump’s campaign called the state turning blue a “pipe dream.”

“Texans will see through this staged attempt to win their favor and resoundingly re-elect President Trump in November,” she said in an email.