Veronica Escobar to Preside over DNC as Kamala Harris Accepts Presidential Nomination

U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar is set to take the spotlight at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago as she presides over the gathering on Thursday night [URL no longer active: https://www.demconvention.com/], when Vice President Kamala Harris accepts the party's presidential nomination. Escobar, seeking a fourth term representing El Paso, said she plans to strongly advocate for Harris' election but won't push for Democrats to focus on Texas, a state that has been a Republican lock since 1980.

I think we need to focus on the states that we absolutely have to win. And I know, you know that sounds a little nuts that I'm not advocating for rallies in my own home state. I would love that. But the challenge is, we've got a very short runway. Vice President Harris and Governor Waltz really just became a ticket." — Rep. Veronica Escobar

Escobar's comments come as Harris faces scrutiny over unlawful immigration, an area of responsibility delegated to her by President Joe Biden. Escobar defended Harris, arguing that Trump is responsible for the issues at the border, and pointed to Trump's obstruction of immigration legislation that included additional funding and resources for Border Patrol and asylum claim processing.

I think the vast majority of border communities, including my own, recognize that Donald Trump is the person who told his party not to solve the issues at the border." — Rep. Veronica Escobar

Escobar expressed hope for Democratic unity and indicated that tensions surrounding calls for Biden to step down have eased, with excitement building around the Harris-Walz ticket.

I definitely did hear from pockets of the community that were really upset with Democrats who were trying to force President Biden off the ticket," Escobar said. "But that was really in the early days of all of this shaking out. Since then, there's just a lot of excitement and unity." — Rep. Veronica Escobar