Texas ties run deep in 2020 Democratic presidential field

Vermont Sen. and former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks during SXSW Friday March 9, 2018 in Austin, Tx. Vermont Sen. and former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks during SXSW Friday March 9, 2018 in Austin, Tx. Photo: Edward A. Ornelas, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Photo: Edward A. Ornelas, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close Texas ties run deep in 2020 Democratic presidential field 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

There is a whole lot of Texas in this year’s Democratic presidential primary beyond Julián Castro, who announced last month, and Beto O’Rourke, who could announce by the end of next week.

O’Rourke, the former El Paso city commissioner and congressman, said over the weekend that he still expects to make a decision by the end of the month.

Castro, who served as San Antonio’s mayor before he became the secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, officially kicked off his presidential campaign in mid-January.

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Here’s a look at some of the other candidates in the race who have ties back to the state, and at other candidates in the race — or thinking about getting in the race — who have made recent speeches in Texas:

Elizabeth Warren

Outside of O’Rourke and Castro, it is hard to find a candidate with more Texas ties than U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. She has lived in Texas several times dating back to 1968 when she attended the University of Houston and earned a degree in 1970. The Oklahoma native later taught at the University of Houston’s law school before moving over to the University of Texas law school. She left Texas for a teaching position in 1987.

Last year she released a video that included former colleagues from the University of Houston vouching for her and stressing she was not hired based on her Native American heritage, which she has claimed on other documents, including her application to the Texas Bar, as reported by the Washington Post.

Warren officially announced her campaign on Feb. 9.

Joe Biden

Former Vice President Joe Biden hasn’t declared whether he will seek the nomination again but is reportedly likely to get in.

In late 2017, he told an audience in Sugar Land how important the Houston area became to his family. When his son Beau was diagnosed with cancer in 2013, he was taken to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where Biden frequently visited him during his treatment.

"The Houston police, they did incredible things for me," said Biden, a former U.S. senator from Delaware. "They quietly got me in and out of Houston."

Kamala Harris

U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris has roots in California but relies on a top staffer from Texas. Harris hired Lily Adams to be her communications director. Adams is the granddaughter of former Texas Gov. Ann Richards and attended elementary school in Austin before her family moved to Washington, D.C. Adams is also a veteran of the Hillary Clinton campaign, serving as the Iowa communications director.

Harris announced her campaign on Jan. 21.

Amy Klobuchar

In late September, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar was in Austin as part of the Texas Tribune’s annual TribFest. It came just a days after she was involved in a memorable clash with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

“We were very surprised by his demeanor,” she said during her speech in Austin.

In the same appearance, Klobuchar didn’t say she was considering running, but talked up the Democratic Party’s need to do a better job at reaching out to Midwestern states and rural communities.

Klobuchar announced her candidacy for the White House this month, stressing those Midwestern roots.

Cory Booker

Before Klobuchar, fellow U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., was in Texas addressing a mostly Democratic audience.

In early September, Booker was in Austin for a fundraising dinner for the state party.

“This is a time where Americans have to realize this is the most important election,” Booker said. “At least the most important midterm election in our lifetimes. And you can either sit on the sidelines for that or you can get in the game.”

Booker also made a trip to Houston that same weekend to campaign with Democrat Lizzie Fletcher, who wound up defeating U.S. Rep. John Culberson in November.

Lizzie @Lizzie4Congress and I just finished a rally here in Houston for her critical House race: pic.twitter.com/AJLu42r0IM — Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) September 8, 2018

Bernie Sanders

Last year, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., was a featured speaker at SXSW, the annual festival in Austin.

Sanders used some of his time to vent his frustrations about the National Democratic Congressional Committee trying to get too involved in primary elections, particularly in Texas. He cited a race in Houston as a prime example of the national party overstepping its bounds.

Sanders said the DCCC shouldn’t be trying to decide who is the best candidate to take on the Republican. He said that is the job of the voters.

“I detest that type of politics,” said Sanders, who announced another run for the White House this week.

Sanders’ campaign has spawned a network of activists called Our Revolution. The group has been aggressively cultivating candidates in Texas and beyond, particularly on the local level. O’Rourke was among the candidates Our Revolution endorsed during the 2018 U.S. Senate race.