Clinton Taps Two Texans in Congress to Speak at Democratic Convention

U.S. Reps. Joaquin Castro and Sheila Jackson Lee will speak at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia next week, according to a Hillary Clinton campaign official.

The selection says much about their relationships with the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

The Clintons, particularly the former president, place a premium on demonstrative political loyalty — and both Texans have proven reliable allies over the years.

Castro, a San Antonio Democrat, has close ties to Hillary Clinton, thanks in part to the vice presidential consideration swirling around his twin brother, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro. Joaquin Castro campaigned for Clinton in Texas and other states during the March Democratic primary, and he politicked behind the scenes on behalf of the former secretary of state during her primary fight this year with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Jackson Lee is possibly the most forcefully loyal Clintonite in the House delegation. She backed Hillary Clinton in 2008 while other superdelegates in the state and elsewhere sided with then-Sen. Barack Obama. Jackson Lee also earned praise within the Clinton camp for her get-out-the vote efforts in her home base of Houston.

The Clinton camp has yet to announce when the speeches will take place.