Vice President Mike Pence is in Texas to see the progress being made in the year since Hurricane Harvey, but he's also attending several Republican fundraising events while here.
Critics of the Trump administration believe the trip is a sign Texas Republicans are in trouble this November.
“The notion that this is a sign of weakness is just silly,” says Paul Simpson, chairman of the Harris County Republican Party. “Nancy Pelosi was here last week campaigning for Democrats, so I guess it was equally a sign of weakness for Democrats.”
“The eyes of the nation are focused on a lot of races in Texas, here in Harris County as well, so both parties are very much engaged in letting people know how important the election is this November.”
However, the GOP acknowledges Houston Congressman John Culberson is in a tough race.
“Everyone knows the importance of Congressional District 7, there's a national focus on that race and we know if Culberson is not re-elected then we'll end up with Nancy Pelosi as speaker,” says Simpson.