AUSTIN (Nexstar) — When President Biden delivers the keynote address commemorating the Civil Rights Act’s 60th anniversary at the LBJ Library on Monday, the nation will be watching the politics as much as the prose, political observers said. His trip comes at a pivotal time for his political future, and much of the momentum against his run originated in Austin.
“The underlying message will be ‘Joe Biden is a competent candidate. He’s here. He’s forceful, people should stop talking about removing him,'” Executive Director of the Texas Politics Project Jim Henson said. “As with all Joe Biden events now, the subtext here will overwhelm the actual text of the speech.”
Just two weeks before Biden is scheduled to evoke the legacy of Texas-native President Lyndon Baines Johnson, Austin’s own congressman became the first House Democrat to call on him to bow out of the race — and follow in the footsteps of LBJ.
The 36th president announced he would not seek the Democratic nomination in March 1968.
“I know how painful that had to be for President Johnson. And this is a painful decision, but a necessary one if we are to stop our democracy from being trampled on by Trump,” Doggett told Nexstar.
Doggett will not be in attendance for the president’s speech on Monday. His office said he had a longstanding commitment out of the state planned before the event was announced and before he called on Biden to step aside.
Polling from the Texas Politics Project found in June, Biden’s approval rating hovers at 39 percent in Texas. 64 percent of Texans said he is too old to be President, including 45 percent of Texas Democrats.
“His polling in Texas has been really in the doldrums and has been throughout most of his presidency, his job approval rating is negative. A lot of doubts, even among Democrats about his age,” Henson said.
Following the event at the LBJ Library, Biden will sit down with NBC’s Lester Holt for an exclusive one-on-one interview.
Biden last traveled to Texas in March to attend a fundraising swing in Dallas and Houston.