HOUSTON — Aaron Phillips is a fifth grade teacher in the Amarillo Independent School District. Before the 2018 election, he organized for local Republicans like state Sen. Kel Seliger and state Rep. Four Price, whom he considered "friendly" to public education.

But on Friday afternoon, he was at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston alongside thousands of union-affiliated teachers listening to 10 Democrats running for president explain their views on standardized tests, teacher pay and school safety. This summer brought an end to a state legislative session focused almost entirely on public education, and Texas educators are continuing the political pressure at the national level in an already heated 2020 cycle.

Despite his support for Republicans in the Texas Legislature, Phillips said he finds himself drawn to U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, convinced in part by his plan to achieve universal health care. Phillips has the free high-deductible health insurance plan his school district offers, and he knows he could be one accident away from paying thousands of dollars in medical bills.

"I would hate to fall further into debt because I had an accident," he said. "I don't go for yearly check-ups. I don't do any preventative services because I can't afford it."

Several thousand red-shirted educators rows deep in the high-ceilinged Houston convention center showed up for the National Education Association's first 2020 presidential forum, whooping loudly at the high notes of the candidates' speeches and clapping together long balloons emblazoned with the national union's 2020 election refrain, "Strong Public Schools."

The Democratic presidential hopefuls had 10 minutes to answer questions submitted by educators across the country. Both Texas candidates — Beto O'Rourke and Julián Castro — made sure to greet the Texas educators in the room in English and Spanish and referenced their experiences with the state's education system.

"We grew up in the San Antonio ISD and Edgewood ISD school districts of San Antonio that were two of the poorest school districts in the state," said Castro, one of the Democratic candidates with an extensive education plan. "And so I know from firsthand experience the impact of growing up in segregated school districts."

O'Rourke, who has advocated for student loan forgiveness for all public school teachers, walked onto the stage to a "Beto" chant, popularized during his unsuccessful run for U.S. senator in 2018.