What's in store for the 2024 Texas Democratic Party Convention in El Paso this week?

Texas Democrats will be descending on El Paso this week for their 2024 party convention, which kicks off Thursday and runs through Saturday.

The convention at the El Paso Convention Center is an opportunity for Democrats in various caucuses to elect party leadership and set their agenda for the upcoming legislative session. Texas Democrats will also select their 273 national delegates and 20 alternates to attend the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.

The three-day convention in El Paso will feature a variety of high-profile speakers from the state and national level, as well as a bevy of events, caucus meetings and breakout sessions.

Who's coming to 2024 Texas Democratic Convention?

The convention is a veritable who's-who of Democrats, both from Texas and beyond.

Special guests for the Thursday night kickoff event include former presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords of Arizona, Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinjosa and U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar and state Sen. Cesar Blanco, both of El Paso.

A breakfast event slated Saturday morning will once again feature Escobar along with U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston who announced over the weekend that she has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and is undergoing treatment.

Other prominent political figures scheduled to attend the event include U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, who is mounting a campaign to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, and U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio. David Hogg, a student survivor of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., is also scheduled to attend.

What are key Democratic priorities?

As per the caucus lineup, as well as the presence of gun control activist Hogg, Texas Democrats will likely focus on gun control measures.

Thursday trainings at the convention are largely aimed at voter empowerment, voter protection and organizing, though other trainings tackle faith and politics and abortion rights, which will likely be another key party focus.

Friday caucus meetings include the Indigenous Peoples Caucus, the Labor Caucus, the Youth Caucus, the Texas Progressive Caucus, the Reproductive Freedom Caucus and many others. For the most part, these groups will be electing new leadership and setting their priorities for the year ahead.

What about President Joe Biden and his reelection efforts in Texas?

Though no official surrogate is slated to be on hand to represent President Joe Biden's reelection campaign, at least two members of his reelection team will be on hand.

Escobar was named a national co-chair of the president's reelection committee in April 2023 and will play a large part in the upcoming convention. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who will also be present, is also a national co-chair of the president's reelection committee.

Co-chairs, in large part, act as representatives for the president's campaign by raising money, talking to voters and crafting messaging and strategy.

With the expected rematch between Biden and former President Donald Trump only a few months away, it's likely Escobar and Whitmer will work to fire up Texas Democrats to hoist the president to four more years in the White House.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Democratic Convention 2024: Guests include Beto O'Rourke, Colin Allred