Kamala Harris will visit Houston Thursday

HOUSTON – The Houston Chronicle reports Vice President Kamala Harris will come to Houston on Thursday in one of her first stops on the campaign trail as the Democratic party’s presumptive nominee for president. The White House confirmed Harris will deliver the keynote speech to the American Federation of Teachers national convention on Thursday, marking her second visit to Texas this month. She spoke in Dallas two weeks ago to the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. The AFT, with 1.8 million members, is among the nation’s largest teachers unions and a powerful bloc of Democratic voters. The announcement of the visit comes a day after AFT delegates voted to endorse Harris for the Democratic nomination for president.

“The educators, bus drivers, nurses, public employees, higher education workers, correctional officers and doctors of the AFT stand with Kamala,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten in a statement accompanying the endorsement. “We are fully committed to this fight: united, mobilized and ready to vote in this year’s election.” Harris is no stranger to Houston. She campaigned frequently in the city in 2019 and late last year took part in a forum on health care and attended a private fundraiser. While Harris already has the AFT support, the White House said the event shows her continued support for workers across America, noting she has spoken before big unions recently, including the SEIU and UNITE HERE, the largest hospitality union in America.