Beto O'Rourke proposes 4 town hall-style debates in Texas governor's race

Niki Griswold, Austin American-Statesman
·2 min read
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Beto O'Rourke
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Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke is proposing an additional four town hall-style debates with Gov. Greg Abbott, who has not yet agreed to participate.

Abbott and O’Rourke have agreed to go head to head in a separate debate on Sept. 30 in the Rio Grande Valley. The debate will be sponsored by Nexstar Media Group, and "will be available in every media market, and on Spanish language stations throughout Texas,” according to a news release from the Abbott campaign.

More: Will Texas governor's race be a referendum on abortion? Beto O'Rourke hopes so.

O’Rourke’s campaign said the four additional debates would be hosted by:

  • TEGNA/WFAA

  • The Texas Tribune, Austin American-Statesman, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and KVUE-TV

  • Telemundo 40 Rio Grande Valley

  • CNN

“Beto is looking forward to these four town hall-style debates where he can continue taking questions directly from voters in English and Spanish while also holding Governor Abbott fully accountable for his indefensible record of incompetence and extremism,” said O'Rourke campaign spokesperson Chris Evans in a news release.

More: Beto O'Rourke campaign seeks to knock on 5 million doors before November election

What is the campaign of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott saying?

Abbott campaign spokesman Mark Miner in a statement: "In between television appearances in New York and fundraising in Hollywood, we are pleased Beto O’Rourke is taking the time to debate Governor Abbott in the only statewide televised debate, to be held in the Rio Grande Valley and hosted by Nexstar. Beto has been debating himself on issues throughout the campaign, and we look forward to highlighting his real positions supporting open borders, defunding the police, raising property taxes, and extreme energy policies that will kill hundreds of thousands of jobs in Texas."

According to recent polls, O'Rourke's momentum appears to have stalled. Abbott consistently leads O'Rourke by 5 to 7 percentage points.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Beto O'Rourke pitches 4 town hall-style debates in Texas governor's race