Updated at 2:54 p.m.: Revised to include comment from Dallas attorney Marc Stanley.
Texas played a critical role in cinching the Democratic presidential nomination for Joe Biden, providing him a major primary win on Super Tuesday in March that helped pave the way for him to prevail nationally over President Donald Trump in the general election.
But it’s unclear if the Lone Star State will likewise hold a prominent spot in Biden’s administration.
While the obvious names – including former White House hopefuls Beto O’Rourke and Julián Castro – are being floated as potential Cabinet members, most presidential personnel tip sheets making the rounds don’t predict Biden tapping Texas in a prolific or high-profile way.
The Texan getting the most buzz so far is Rep. Filemon Vela, a Brownsville Democrat perhaps best known nationally for once telling Trump to “take your border wall and shove it up your a--.”
Vela, a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee, was an early Biden endorser who helped raise significant funds for the former vice president’s campaign; some media reports list him as a possibility for Commerce, Transportation or some other secretary spot if he wants it.
Key Texas Democrats remain hopeful that the state, given its size and stature, will end up factoring into a Biden administration in a major way.
“There has to be a recognition of where we sit, not only in terms of his nomination, but also where we sit as far as the future of the Democratic Party in America,” said Gilberto Hinojosa, chairman of the Texas Democratic Party.
Presidents in both parties have long looked to Texas, which again stayed red this year at the presidential level, to fill out spots in their White House or Cabinet.
Trump, a Republican, picked former Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be his first Secretary of State and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to be his first Energy Secretary. Another Texan, Brooke Rollins, currently serves as the president’s domestic policy adviser.
Former President Barack Obama, a Democrat, also sought a bit of Texas twang on his team.
Castro, the former San Antonio mayor who ran for president this cycle, served as Obama’s Housing and Urban Development Secretary from 2014 to 2017. Former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk served as Obama’s first trade ambassador.
Then there was former President George W. Bush, a Republican who brought along many of his fellow Texans to serve in the White House, Cabinet and beyond.
No one expects Biden to transform Washington into Texas on the Potomac, given that the former Delaware senator has decades of connections stretching all across the U.S. and that his White House victory hinged on swing states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Nevada.
But, as former Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings put it, “it would be amazing for the country to see a person of real gravitas appointed from Texas to be at least a voice around the conversation.”
“Texas has been a high growth state for a long time,” added Rawlings, a Democrat who backed Biden early on and then went on to help raise large amounts of campaign cash for the candidate. “We know how to balance growth and good progressive principles.”
Washington insiders and media outlets don’t appear to be quite so bullish on Texas. A Politico rundown of the top contenders for Biden’s Cabinet details more than 55 officials under consideration for a wide range of posts. Not one of them hails from Texas.
(There are some contenders with Texas ties, at least. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren graduated from the University of Houston and taught at the University of Texas at Austin. Georgian Stacey Abrams, cited on some lists, got a master’s degree from UT-Austin.)
Those tip sheets, of course, are often more educated guesses than anything definitive.
Regina Montoya, a Dallas-based lawyer who worked closely with the national Democratic Party and the Biden campaign in a variety of roles, declined to discuss specific appointments. She did say that she believes Biden will make good on his promise to ensure his Cabinet is diverse.
“They want a deep bench that will be strong,” she said. “They want an administration that is reflective of this country. They want people who have contributed in very substantive ways as well. You’re going to get some of the biggest experts.”
Texans with experience
In Texas, the speculation begins with those who have experience.
Kirk, who came back to Dallas after his time in D.C., said he was thrilled that Biden and his running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, emerged victorious. But he also made it clear he wasn’t interested in returning to the nation’s capital.
“We need new leadership,” he said. “I’m looking forward to a new generation to take up the mantle and get this pandemic under control.”
But Castro, listed by some as a potential Homeland Security Secretary, hasn’t foreclosed the possibility of coming back to D.C.
“I haven’t taken anything off the table, and I haven’t put anything on the table,” he said over the weekend on CNN, adding that he hasn’t had any discussions with the Biden team. “I have every confidence that he’s going to assemble a great team of people to lead the country.”
Politics could also factor in.
Castro hit the campaign trail for Biden in the White House’s waning weeks. The Texan, however, clashed with Biden a couple of times during the primary campaign. He also decided to back Warren – not Biden – after ending his own campaign early last year.
But Texas' other 2020 White House hopeful – O’Rourke, the former El Paso congressman – appeared with Biden in Texas the night before Super Tuesday in a strong show of support.
That sort of backing could give O’Rourke an inside edge to a posting in the Biden administration. It’s uncertain if the former Senate candidate, who nearly toppled Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018, would be interested. O’Rourke didn’t respond to a text message seeking comment.
The most intriguing Lone Star State options might be those Texans who got behind Biden early on; who supported the former vice president, financially or otherwise, in a significant way; or who were tapped by Biden in some form or fashion during the campaign.
Vela, who didn’t return a request for comment, checks those kinds of boxes.
Ditto for someone like Rep. Veronica Escobar, an El Paso Democrat who endorsed Biden ahead of Super Tuesday; participated in the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention; and served on a policy task force convened by Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Escobar didn’t return a request for comment.
Rawlings, whose mayoral tenure ended last year, would seem to be another Texan who would fit the bill for a potential Biden appointment. But he said he’s “not looking for a job,” adding that he has a “wonderful professional position” in the private sector and a “balanced life.”
Texas is also home to more than 30 so-called Biden bundlers, those who helped organize and collect at least $100,000 in campaign donations. Those fundraising powerhouses – including Rawlings, Montoya and Vela – sometimes end up in line for ambassadorial jobs.
One frequently mentioned Texan on that front is Dallas attorney Marc Stanley, who said that “if they’ll consider me, I’d love to serve.”
But Rawlings encouraged Biden to think outside of the box, too. The former Dallas mayor said the president-elect should also look at certain Texas Republicans, such as former state House Speaker Joe Straus, or business leaders, such as Kip Tindell, co-founder of The Container Store.
“It’s not who – it’s why, that’s the important question here,” Rawlings said, also pointing to Texas municipal leaders like Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner or Austin Mayor Steve Adler. “We’ve got people who know things and are experienced.”
Staff writer Tom Benning reported from Washington, while Nic Garcia reported from Dallas.
