AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Democrats met with Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House Wednesday. She lauded them as “courageous leaders” following their late night walkout that derailed the Texas GOP's sweeping voting bill which included restricting voting hours and tightening vote-by-mail rules.

“All citizens have the right to vote constitutionally. What we are seeing are examples of an attempt to interfere with that right,” said Harris.

Texas Democrats say they're focused on coalition building to try to get voting rights bills passed in Congress that could block many of the changes Texas Republicans are trying to implement at the state level.

“We did not come to the nation’s capital to have a victory lap because we were able to temporarily stop SB 7. We came here with the mindset of talking with those Senators and congressional people to make sure they understand that Texas already has some of the most rigid laws in the land,” Rep. Jarvis Johnson, D-Houston, said in an interview on Capital Tonight. He was one of sixteen members of the Texas delegation that met with Harris.

Johnson also said federal law supersedes any state law and they are working with the federal government to pass HR 1 and HR 4 so those protections can be put in place to ensure what he called true voter integrity.

HR1 is the For the People Act which would allow every eligible citizen to be automatically registered to vote and guarantee vote-by-mail options, to name a few.

HR 4 is the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. It’s a narrow bill to address a 2013 Supreme Court ruling that makes it harder for the federal government to block racially discriminatory voting laws and redistricting proposals.

Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, was also among the state lawmakers who met with Harris.

"One of the things we are really focused on is partnership building and how we can be an influence in helping to get these bills passed that are so critical to our country," she said.  

Still, Texas Democrats lobbying likely won't be enough to get stalled federal legislation across the goal line with U.S. Senate Republicans against it.

On the state level, Gov. Greg Abbott has vowed to summon the Legislature back to Austin for a special session to resurrect the voting bill Democrats derailed last month. Johnson is hopeful to have some discussions with the majority party before then.

“We have to be able to sit down at the table,” he said. “It is certainly my desire to have a conversation with the governor before the session begins to see where we might be able to find common ground, where we might be able to have negotiation.”

Click the video link above to watch the full interview with Rep. Johnson.