U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is returning to Houston on Sunday hoping to ride a surge in the polls into a convincing win in Texas on Super Tuesday.

Sanders will speak at the University of Houston on Sunday at 1 p.m. Later on Sunday he will be in Austin for a rally at 5 p.m.

It will be Sanders first return trip to Houston since he participated in the Democratic presidential primary debate at Texas Southern University in September.

Sanders previously announced campaign rally stops in El Paso and San Antonio on Saturday.

Know the candidates: Houston Chronicle 2020 primary election voter guide; San Antonio Express-News 2020 primary election voter guide

Sanders is coming to Texas as new polls show him gaining steam in the Lone Star State. In University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll conducted from Jan. 31 to Feb. 9, Sanders was winning the support of 24 percent of Democratic voters in Texas. Former Vice President Joe Biden was second at 22 percent. It was the first major poll of Texas voters in almost a year that didn’t show Biden as the leader.

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Texas and its 228 pledged delegates are looming large in the Democratic primary field in which none of the leading contenders have been able to break away from the field after early contests in New Hampshire and Iowa. Texas votes on Super Tuesday on March 3 along with 13 other states. Already early voting is underway and runs through Feb. 28.

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More Information Bernie Sanders Rally in Houston Time: 1 p.m., doors open 11:30 a.m. Location: University of Houston Fertitta Center, 3875 Holman St., Houston, TX 77004. Cost: Free, but campaign requests RSVP through campaign website.

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The Sanders rally on Sunday will start at 1 p.m. at the University of Houston Fertitta Center, 3875 Holman St., Houston, TX 77004. It is free to attend, but the campaign is requesting attendees to RSVP on its website. Doors will open at 11:30 a.m.