El Paso Rep. Veronica Escobar will chair the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, the night Vice President Kamala Harris will formally introduce herself as the party’s presidential nominee.
Escobar was one of four convention co-chairs announced Sunday, one for each night of the convention. The other convention co-chairs, first reported by USA Today, are Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker.
“For many people who don’t pay as close attention to politics as a lot of us do, it will be an opportunity for us to reach any undecided voters, any independent voters who are still on the fence, and to let them know that this election presents a very stark contrast between the two parties and the two nominees for president,” Escobar said in an interview with El Paso Matters.
The Democratic National Convention begins Monday in Chicago and will run through Thursday. Harris and her vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, already have been nominated through a virtual process.
Harris quickly cemented the nomination after President Joe Biden decided to step aside in July, following intense pressure from party leaders and donors who were concerned the 81-year-old president would not be able to defeat Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Escobar served as one of the national co-chairs of the Biden-Harris ticket earlier this year, and now serves in a similar role for the Harris-Walz ticket.
“Personally, I’m also looking forward to Monday evening because it will be a celebration of our president. I think it’s very important to recognize his leadership, the accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration, and the incredible selflessness that made this moment possible, where we are, as a party, going to be nominating Kamala Harris, the first woman of color and his vice president,” Escobar said.
After the convention, Escobar said she’ll serve as a campaign surrogate for the Democratic ticket, particularly in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona and Nevada. Those battleground states all have sizable Hispanic populations that could be pivotal in a close election.
Escobar has been one of the Democrats’ leading voices on immigration, which polls show is second only to the economy among top concerns for voters. Polls earlier this year showed voters having greater confidence in Trump than Biden to address immigration and border issues, though the gap has narrowed since Harris replaced Biden as the Democrats’ presidential nominee.
“Frankly, every time there’s been a bipartisan breakthrough (on immigration issues), the obstacles have been Republicans,” Escobar said. “If they truly want to address the border – they being voters – and understand the importance of immigration, which the vast majority of voters still do, then really it’s Democrats who are the responsible party in terms of bringing forward solutions.”
The post El Paso’s Veronica Escobar named co-chair of Democratic National Convention appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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