NEW YORK – A top campaign aide to Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday that the Texas primary next month could prove decisive – a far cry from expectations months ago that the contest would be settled long before March 4.

"We think Texas is going to play an important role in the nominating process, and we're excited about our prospects there," said Guy Cecil, the Clinton campaign's national political and field director. "We are taking Texas very seriously."

Also on Friday, two more Texas congressmen jumped on the Clinton bandwagon, padding her support among Hispanics.

Reps. Solomon Ortiz of Corpus Christi, the dean of the Texas Democratic delegation, and Gene Green of Houston, who is Anglo but represents a district in which Hispanics dominate, announced their endorsements, joining four colleagues who had already thrown their support to Mrs. Clinton.

Both had backed New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, as had another Clinton supporter, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes of El Paso. The Texas Clinton team also includes Reps. Henry Cuellar of Laredo, Rubén Hinojosa of Mercedes, and Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston, one of Mrs. Clinton's most prominent black supporters, who is stumping this weekend for her in California.

Mr. Green, in a conference call with Texas journalists, cited Mrs. Clinton's views on health care and said her politics are in sync with Texas voters'.

"Texas is not by any stretch a liberal state. They want somebody who can work, somebody who's a problem-solver," he said, adding that he would welcome a campaign that lasts long after Super Tuesday, assuring heightened interest and turnout in Texas. "You get that better participation, and people who vote for Senator Clinton in March will be sure to come back and vote for her in November."

Barack Obama has one endorsement among the 13 Texas Democrats in Congress, Rep. Al Green of Houston.

Mr. Cecil said Mrs. Clinton will campaign in Texas at some point after Super Tuesday, but plans remain in flux. Spanish-language advertising in Dallas and other key markets is likely, he said, and he hinted that Mrs. Clinton's daughter, Chelsea Clinton, might visit college campuses in Texas, as she's done around the country in recent weeks.

"We have two great candidates," he said, and both have the cash to stay in the race. "We've been preparing from the very beginning for a long contested nomination."