These Texans are scheduled to speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee – The Texas Tribune

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MADISON, Wis. Gov. Greg Abbott and Sen. Ted Cruz will be among the Texas Republicans who will address the Republican National Convention beginning Monday in Milwaukee, the Republican National Committee announced Saturday.

The list of speakers also includes U.S. Reps. Ronny Jackson of Amarillo, Monica De La Cruz of Edinburg and Wesley Hunt of Houston. All three are vocal supporters of former President Donald Trump, who will receive the partys formal presidential nomination at the convention. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, who defected from the Democratic Party to become a Republican last year, will also be on the main stage.

Abbott and Cruz were both floated as potential presidential candidates early in the cycle, though they never launched their own bids.

The last time Cruz spoke from the convention mainstage was in 2016, when he declined to endorse Trump after coming short in that years Republican primaries. Cruz has since become a vocal Trump supporter.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will not attend the convention, even though he is the chair of Trumps reelection efforts in Texas. He canceled his appearance in the wake of Hurricane Beryl, which killed at least 10 people. Much of the Houston area was without power for days. An estimated 700,000 customers remained without electricity Saturday afternoon.

My first priority is not the Republican National Convention; its pushing CenterPoint and other utility companies in damaged areas to get power back and ensure our state continues to deliver what citizens need, Patrick said on social media Friday.

Patricks statement was in response to a call from the Texas Democratic Party for him, Cruz and Abbott to stay in Texas rather than attend the convention. Abbott drew criticisms for going on a pre-scheduled business trip to Asia.

Our states leaders should not be jetting off to applaud Donald Trump while Texans are still suffering, Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said in a statement Friday night. The Texas Democratic Party calls upon Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick and Ted Cruz to skip the Republican National Convention, and prioritize mitigating Beryls aftermath.

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Cruz stayed in the Houston area for much of last week, missing votes in the U.S. Senate, to survey the damage and speak with those impacted by the storm. He and other lawmakers from Houston from both parties pushed the Biden administration to quickly approve disaster aid for the state.

Cruzs 2021 trip to Cancun during a winter storm drew ridicule from Democrats, who are hoping to unseat him this year with U.S. Rep. Colin Allred. Cruz said the trip was a mistake and returned to Texas. Allreds campaign has continued to refer back to the trip in its messaging.

Cruzs campaign shot back that Allred was in Washington with the rest of the U.S. House last week.

It took Cant Comment Colin five days to visit Houston. Texas Dems should check their own nominee before they try to be relevant, a Cruz spokesperson said in a statement.

Allreds campaign said Cruzs actions during Winter Storm Uri is what voters will remember this fall.

No matter what Cancun Cruz says or does, Texans will never forget he abandoned them during the deadly freeze in 2021. Come November, Texans will elect a Senator they can count on, Allreds campaign said in response.

Jackson and Hunt are among Trumps most fervent supporters on Capitol Hill. Jackson served as the White House physician to President Barack Obama and Trump and has remained a loyal Trump supporter since. Hunt has hosted outreach programs to court more Black voters to support Trump.

De La Cruz won her Rio Grande Valley seat in 2022 after national Republicans poured millions of dollars into the race. Her race was a litmus test for GOP efforts to court Hispanic voters in Texas. Her race for reelection this year is Democrats top U.S. House target in Texas and the most competitive congressional seat in the state.

"It is truly the honor of a lifetime and my story is the American Dream come true, De La Cruz said in a statement. I look forward to making the case for why we need President Donald Trump to fix our economy and restore law and order at the southern border."

Election Day for the general election is November 5, and early voting will run from Oct. 21 to Nov. 1. The deadline to register to vote and/or change your voter registration address is Oct. 7. Applications to vote by mail must be received by your county of residence not postmarked by Oct. 25.

In addition to the president, eligible Texans have the opportunity to cast their ballots for many Texas officials running for office at the federal, state and local levels. This includes representatives in the U.S. and Texas houses and the following elected offices: -1 U.S Senator (Ted Cruz) - 1 of 3 Railroad Commissioners - 15 State Senators - 7 State Board of Education members - 3 members of the Texas Supreme Court - 3 members of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals - 5 Chief Justices and various justices for Texas Courts of Appeals - Lower-level judges and local county offices will also appear on the ballot: - Various district judges, including on criminal and family courts - County Courts at Law - Justices of the Peace - District Attorneys - County Attorneys - Sheriffs - Constables - Tax Assessor-Collectors

You can check to see if youre registered and verify your information through the Texas Secretary of States website. Youll need one of the following three combinations to log in: Your Texas drivers license number and date of birth. Your first and last names, date of birth and county you reside in. Your date of birth and Voter Unique Identifier, which appears on your voter registration certificate.

You can request a postage-paid application through the mail or find one at county voter registrars offices and some post offices, government offices, or high schools. You can also print out the online application and mail it to the voter registrar in your county. Applications must be postmarked by the Oct. 7 deadline. Download your application here. Additionally, you can register to vote through the Texas Department of Public Safety while renewing your drivers license. You may be able to register to vote online if youre also allowed to renew your license online. This is the only form of online registration in the state. After you register to vote, you will receive a voter registration certificate within 30 days. Itll contain your voter information, including the Voter Unique Identifier number needed to update your voter registration online. If the certificate has incorrect information, youll need to note corrections and send it to your local voter registrar as soon as possible. The voter registration certificate can also be used as a secondary form of ID when you vote if you dont have one of the seven state-approved photo IDs

You can contact your county elections official or call the Texas Secretary of State's helpline at 1-800-252-VOTE (8683). A coalition of voting rights groups is also helping voters navigate election concerns through the 866-OUR-VOTE (687-8683) voter-protection helpline. The coalition has hotlines available in other languages. Disability Rights Texas also assists voters with disabilities.

Big news: director and screenwriter Richard Linklater; NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher; U.S. Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-California; and Luci Baines Johnson will take the stage at The Texas Tribune Festival, Sept. 57 in downtown Austin. Buy tickets today!

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These Texans are scheduled to speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee - The Texas Tribune

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