DALLAS, Texas — Former Vice President and current Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden made two quick campaign stops in Dallas on Wednesday and received the endorsement of outgoing Mayor Mike Rawlings while doing so.
Biden has a commanding lead in early primary polls and is at least the fifth Democratic presidential candidate to visit the Lone Star State.
Beto O'Rourke, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, and Julian Castro have all made recent stops in Texas.
Biden, fresh off of a visit in Houston Tuesday, had a closed fundraiser in Dallas earlier in the day and then spoke to dozens of students who were just accepted to the Dallas Mayor's Intern Fellows Program.
The program places students in various jobs across the city for the summer. A number of them include positions at law firms, hospitals, the City of Dallas, and other private, public or non-profit entities.
Biden's address to dozens of students was not very political in nature. He didn't mention the words "election" or "primary" and didn't even mention President Donald Trump.
He primarily encouraged the students to discover a passion and a career that keeps it alive.
He made a point to share that he realized at a young age that he was passionate about stopping the abuse of power.
"I'm no great, well, anything, but it was just the way I was raised. It's about stopping people who abuse power. Whatever it is. Whether it's raising a hand to a child or a woman, or whether it's abusing the power of a government," Biden said.
"Just remember, when you start these jobs, listen, explore, and if you're lucky...if you're lucky, you're going to find something you're passionate about."
Rawlings and Biden shared a few laughs on the stage about their first jobs, and how they both started out cutting lawns.
"He's a tough guy," Rawlings said of Biden. "To take on Trump, he's got that steely attitude that I think can beat him."
"I just want people to know how I'm looking at it, I'm not telling people how to vote. He understands the human opportunity in our country and he does it with grace and class, he's just a likable guy...you gotta root for someone like that."
Beto O'Rourke will make a campaign stop in Dallas on Thursday.
The candidate said recently at a town hall in Fort Worth that he felt confident he could win the Texas primary election.
