McALLEN — Doors will open at 8 a.m. Wednesday for Hillary Clinton's kick off for her South Texas campaign.

The event will begin at 9 a.m. at the McAllen Convention Center at 700 Convention Center Blvd.

The event is free and open to the public. No tickets are required.

The McAllen stop will be the first in the region for the Democratic presidential candidate.

She is also expected to attend a town hall meeting in Corpus Christi at noon, and a rally in San Antonio at 5:30 p.m.

Today, she is scheduled to speak at 6:30 p.m. in El Paso.

Clinton's campaign headquarters in the Valley opened at 8 a.m. today at 1210 W. Expressway 83. Supplies are expected to be delivered some time today and volunteers who want to help with the campaign during the next three weeks should stop by the location.

The New York senator could again visit the Rio Grande Valley some time in the next week, according to Clinton fundraiser Alonzo Cantu, but no further information was provided Monday.

Texas’ Democratic and Republican primaries are scheduled for March 4.

In most previous presidential election seasons, party candidates are often decided by the time Texas’ primary rolls around. But this year, races are so close — particularly in the Democratic primary — that the state’s voters are expected to be showered with attention.

With the Valley being one of the few Democratic strongholds in the state, its role in this primary season is expected to be even greater.

An Associated Press tally shows her with a slim lead among delegates over opponent U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. — 1,147, compared to his 1,124. To become the Democratic party’s nominee, a candidate must garner more than 2,000 delegates.

Obama is expected to visit the Valley in the next several weeks as well, but his campaign team did not immediately provide a date.

His staffers were expected to start fanning out across the state todayto lay the ground work for his Texas visits. Their arrival coincides with a television ad release in the state focusing on his healthcare plan. The spot is also supposed to air in Spanish.

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Jackie Leatherman covers Hidalgo County government and general assignments at The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4424.

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Staff writer James Osborne contributed to this report.