HOUSTON — Vice President Kamala Harris made a stop in Houston on Thursday to speak at the American Federation of Teachers Convention.
The annual convention is being held this week at the George R. Brown Convention Center with an estimated 3,500 attendees.
The labor union with an estimated 1.8 million members has officially voted to endorse Harris for president.
More on Kamala Harris in Houston
From the minute she took the stage, the convention quickly became a campaign rally for the vice president.
Harris, who serves as the chair of the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, started her keynote speech this morning by thanking President Joe Biden for his service to our country and for portraying what true leadership looks like.
Something she equated to the members of the AFT as educators being great service men and women to the nation.
“I know that by nature you are visionaries, you are focused on the future, the work you do is about a focus on the future, you see the potential in every child you foster it you encourage it and in so doing you shape the future of our nation,” Harris said. “Today we face a choice between two very different visions of our nation one focused on the future and the other focused on the past and we are fighting for the future.”
The vice president also rallied up the crowd by thanking AFT for being the first union to endorse her run for the White House.
A movement she says she pledges to fight for as commander and chief. She ended by stating unions are what helped build America’s middle class.
Live updates from the AFT Convention
10:50 AM - The vice president spoke for about 20 minutes on the importance of educators, loan forgiveness, the role of unions, the economy, and many other issues while at the podium.
Watch her full speech below:
10:35 AM - The vice president took the stage to address the members of the AFT.
10:20 AM - The members of the AFT began to chant for the vice president ahead of her speech.
10 AM - KHOU 11 political analyst Bob Stein discusses the presidential race and the issues facing the vice president now that she is a candidate.
9:05 AM - Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo proclaims today as "Vice President Kamala Harris Day" in the county. "It’s an honor to welcome Vice President Harris back to Harris County this week," Hidalgo said.
9 AM - The Harris County Republican Party Chairman Cindy Siegel released a response to the vice president's visit.
8:25 AM - The crowd is slowly but surely filing into the convention hall where the vice president will speak.
7:30 AM - Harris has made three trips this week — stumping at a school just outside Milwaukee, speaking at the Zeta Phi Beta Convention in Indiana, and today with the American Federation of Teachers in Houston. The visits target battleground states, Black women voters, and labor unions.
7:15 AM - AFT staff are setting up to welcome with signs — one set of signs say “Kamala Harris for President” and another set reads “Thank you, President Biden”.
7 AM - As Harris preps to speak in Houston, her team is out with the first ad of her presidential campaign since President Biden stepped aside. It includes a video of her visit to Wisconsin as well as Beyonce’s “Freedom” as its music:.
6:45 AM - Our Victor Jacobo provides a look inside the GRB downtown ahead of Harris's speech Thursday morning,
Harris County judge proclaims today 'Vice President Kamala Harris Day'
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo proclaimed that Thursday was "Vice President Kamala Harris Day" in the county. Here is the full statement her office sent out:
"Harris County and Houston officials welcome back Vice President Kamala Harris in her second visit to Texas this month. Judge Hidalgo proclaimed today 'Vice President Kamala Harris Day' in Harris County to honor Vice President Harris. Vice President Harris is in town to headline the American Federation of Teachers' 88th national convention, reflecting her ongoing commitment to championing American workers.
"Yesterday Harris County and Houston officials briefed the Vice President on Hurricane Beryl recovery efforts and how federal aid has helped Harris County residents who were affected by the recent disaster.
"The Biden-Harris Administration has been instrumental in helping residents affected by Hurricane Beryl quickly receive direct financial aid from the federal government through FEMA’s Individual Assistance (IA) program. FEMA has already received almost 436,000 applications for Individual Assistance from Harris County residents.
"Hidalgo has greatly appreciated the partnership with the President and Vice President during recent disasters that have significantly impacted recovery efforts. Without direct federal aid from the Administration, hundreds of thousands of Harris County residents would have taken on the cost of recovery alone.
"'It’s an honor to welcome Vice President Harris back to Harris County this week,' Hidalgo said."
Harris County Republican Party release statement on Harris's visit:
Harris County Republican Party Chairman Cindy Siegel released the following statement as the vice president is set to speak at the AFT convention.
“Kamala Harris coming to Texas to speak at a teachers' union event with no plans to visit the border is exactly what I would expect from her; it’s another example of her indifference to the real issues Texans are facing,” said Harris County Republican Party Chairman Cindy Siegel.
“The border crisis is the number one issue for Texas voters. So, naturally, she is coming to Houston to talk to a group of woke educators rather than make a trip to our southern border.
“Let’s be clear — Kamala’s brazenness in showing up in Texas after she perpetuated the lie and coverup regarding the cognitive decline of President Joe Biden and deceiving the American people is shameful.
“This deceit resulted in her being propelled to the highest point in her career without a single vote being cast in her name. Kamala, along with Joe Biden, has promoted policies that have hurt Texans and headed an administration that has been based upon lies to the American public.”
AFT votes to endorse Harris
The labor union with an estimated 1.8 million members has officially voted to endorse Harris for president.
"I wanted to cry because I feel like it's that time. I feel like we women are natural born caregivers, and we care about the world, and I feel like she is the one," said Jessica Campos with Community Voices for Public Education.
As excited as Campos is, she does have some differences of opinion with Harris on hot-button topics like border security.
"We need to pay attention to the way we are allowing people into the country," Campos said.
"The Dems are going to put forward someone who is vital and gonna campaign well, will hopefully raise the right kinds of issues, there is a lot of hope in that," said Jesse Sharkey with the Chicago AFT chapter.
"We as women have to come out and stand and fight for her," said Kim Phillips from the St. Croix AFT chapter.
We asked Phillips about critics who say being a man or woman shouldn’t matter, and that the candidate should be the most qualified person.
"Most of the opinion will say not a woman, even though it depends on qualification, but over the years as you see some people who ain’t qualified has been president before," Phillips said.