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Kamala Harris tries to fire up Fort Worth supporters as part of three-city Texas swing

The Democratic nominee for vice president campaigns in Texas, a state that’s become a presidential contest battleground.

FORT WORTH--Kamala Harris on Friday sought to fire up voters in the crucial battleground of Tarrant County, telling supporters that President Donald Trump has failed to protect Americans during the coronavirus pandemic and stoked racial and ethic divisions that have hurt the nation.

“That does not reflect who we are as our values and priorities as a nation that knows we are strongest when we are unified, knows that we have so much more in common, regardless of where you live, the race, your ethnicity, the language your grandmother speaks,” Harris said in a back lot outside of the First Saint John Cathedral in southeast Fort Worth. "We have a choice in this election to elect a Joe Biden, who says we are, as a first order of priority, going to unify our country and bring us back together.”

Harris' Fort Worth trip was part of a three-city Texas swing that also includes stops in McAllen and Houston. Her trip came on the last day of early voting and is designed to push base Democratic Party voters to the polls.

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Supporters cheer as Democratic Party vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris speaks during a...
Supporters cheer as Democratic Party vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event held in the field behind First Saint John Cathedral in Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday, Oct. 30, 2020. Harris’ visit to Fort Worth is one of a three-stop Texas tour, which includes Houston and McAllen, leading up to the general election on Tuesday.(Lynda M. González / Staff Photographer)
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“We know this is no time to let up on the pedal,” she said, praising Texans for their record-breaking early voting numbers. “We want to make sure we see it through.”

“There is so much at stake,” Harris continued. "Everyone’s voice should be heard.”

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But Trump campaign officials in Texas blasted Harris as a liberal whose policies would kill jobs.

“President Trump has accomplished more in 47 months than Joe Biden has in 47 years,” said Trump campaign spokesperson Samantha Cotten. “Texans aren’t fooled by phony politicians like Kamala Harris who is making a last-ditch effort in the Lone Star State. And come November, voters will reject the Democrats' radical agenda of eliminating the oil and gas industry, hiking our taxes, and taking away our Second Amendment rights in favor of four more years of President Trump.”

Democrats are hoping Biden beats Trump in Texas. That would be quite the feat, since a Democratic presidential candidate hasn’t won in the Lone Star State since Jimmy Carter beat Gerald Ford in 1976.

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Though his staff is larger than the teams put together by previous Democratic presidential nominees in Texas, Biden hasn’t committed heavy resources to winning here. Former 2020 presidential contenders Beto O’Rourke and Julián Castro have urged the former vice president to make an 11th-hour financial push to win Texas. If Biden does win here, it would slam the door on Trump’s reelection bid and reshape the national political scene. O’Rourke was set to join Harris at her McAllen stop.

Tarrant County, long a bellwether in Texas politics, is critical to the hopes of Democrats looking to seize control of the Texas House, as well as the effort to unseat U.S. Reps. Ron Wright and Roger Williams, both Republicans who represent districts that include parts of Tarrant County.

A cavalcade of local Democratic candidates were part of the crowd the Harris campaign officials said was 300, but it appeared to be considerably less than that number. U.S. Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Dallas and Marc Veasey of Fort Worth were on hand, along with several state representatives and state House candidates. Gospel singer Marvin Sapp performed before Harris spoke.

Attendees sat outside in chairs, socially distanced from each other and wearing masks. Details of the event were not publicly released to discourage a big crowd.

Harris pounded a message that Trump is unfit for office, hammering his record from his handling of the pandemic, issues related to health care, the economy and criminal justice reform.

She said Biden, among other things, would lead the nation through the pandemic, develop policies to protect the environment and deal with climate change, put $150 billion into low-interest loans for minority businesses, decriminalize marijuana and expunge the criminal records of those convicted of marijuana offenses, and revitalize the economy.

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“All these things are at play and so much more,” Harris said. “I’m here in Texas to thank you for all that you have been doing, about these challenges and to remind people to vote on the last day of early voting. ... There’s a lot that we need to get done, and there are a lot of reasons for folks to vote.”