Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part series looking at how the 2024 presidential race is playing out in El Paso.
For Emma Solis-Sanchez, an El Paso organizer, harnessing the fervor of Harris supporters from over 500 miles away was far more than election door-knocking, it was to save democracy.
It’s what motivated her to get on a bus earlier this month covered with Kamala Harris campaign signs to help campaign for the Democratic Party presidential tickets in neighboring Arizona ― an important swing state.
It was part of a multi-Texas city push, on Oct. 18, to gather supporters from Austin, San Antonio, and El Paso to knock on doors in the battleground location of Tucson, Arizona ahead of the Nov. 5 general election.
Harris supporters rallied in El Paso as proof their mission goes beyond the confines of a city expected to stay a Democratic Party bastion, where the Biden/Harris ticket beat the Trump/Pence campaign by a 2:1 margin in 2020.
“We want to protect our democracy, the (Constitution of the United States), and women’s reproductive rights,” Solis-Sanchez said. “I support Kamala in honor of my daughters and all people who support equal rights and equal justice. I think we have a strong presidential campaign and strong leadership in Kamala Harris.”
The event was organized by El Paso Latinas for Kamala from their East Side headquarters at 1219 Barranca Drive.
Far from her first foray into election organizing, the caravan was the organization’s fourth rally since last month. The outreach efforts also collaborated with the Texas Campaign for Harris/Walz and East Side Democrats.
For Solis-Sanchez, the 2024 presidential election is as much about ensuring fundamental freedoms as it is about projecting a vision of a progressive future.
“Going forward means not losing what we’ve already earned and making our economy stronger for future generations. We want them to have a better situation than we did,” Solis-Sanchez said.
More on early voting numbers Early voting in Texas underway: How many ballots have been cast so far in El Paso County?
Presidential Election: Party vs. Nation
While many national pundits have characterized the 2024 presidential election as a reckoning between party loyalty and national priorities, voters like Solis-Sanchez believe contentiousness must fall by the wayside moving forward.
“Don’t be afraid to vote your heart and (protect) our Democratic institutions,” Solis-Sanchez said.
For Iliana Holguin, a Harris supporter and El Paso County Commissioner for Precinct 3, the choice comes down to experience and the correct agenda for the nation’s highest office.
“Harris has the most experience and can lead us in the right direction,” Holguin said. “We can’t afford to go backwards, and Kamala will make sure that doesn’t happen. The great thing about the Democratic Party is that we welcome everyone. It brings together many different generations and that’s what’s important for our country.”
Holguin cited the landmark overturning of Roe v. Wade, enshrining protections to women’s healthcare, and violence seen by Trump supporters on Jan. 6 as primary reasons why voters should back Harris.
She did not mince words, saying “the architect” of the unrest was Donald Trump.
“When people go to the polls, they need to vote their conscience and what’s best for the country. That is not Donald Trump,” Holguin said.
More on early voting locations El Paso County residents can vote early in person at these locations starting Oct. 21
Harris support from across the state
Arlene Gharabeigie, an attorney in Austin, was among those making the eventual door-knocking trek to Arizona.
While she echoed many of the concerns of supporters in attendance, she was skeptical about the post-election landscape.
“It’s a personal election for me and I was raised in a very traditional household, so I was told I couldn’t be president because I was a woman,” Gharabeigie said. “So I resonate with a woman that’s worked so hard all her life on the right side of justice. Coming together after the election is going to be a complicated process and there’s going to be controversy afterwards because the poll numbers are really close.”
That thin margin, Gharabeigie noted, has made these outreach efforts that much more important.
Javier Paz, an event organizer and national delegate for Harris, was optimistic the nation could come together even amid an election despite stark differences in party lines.
“Moving forward is helping the middle class grow,” Paz said. “The contrast is (Trump) wants the old trickle-down economics to help his rich friends.”
“Harris has the support of over 200 Republicans with (former Trump cabinet members) saying he’s fascist to the core. Republicans can vote for Harris. That doesn’t make them Democrats, it makes them patriots,” Paz said.
More on the Voters’ Guide El Paso Election Day 2024 guide: What you should know before you vote
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Harris supporters in Texas rally for support ahead of Nov. 5 election
