Democrat Beto O'Rourke vs. Gov. Greg Abbott battle in first debate; here's how to watch
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Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Democrat Beto O'Rourke are set to go head-to-head in their first, and most likely only, in-person debate Friday evening in Edinburg.
The matchup is hosted by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and will be aired by Nexstar Media Group.
The governor, seeking his third four-year term, announced his acceptance of a one-on-one matchup in a news release. He listed the moderators and said the event "will be available in every media market, and on Spanish language stations throughout Texas."
O'Rourke said in his statement that "one debate in one community for the entire state of Texas is not nearly enough."
Here are some of the things to know about the event.
More:The 2022 Texas midterm elections are Nov. 8. Here's what you need to know
More:Beto O'Rourke is running for Texas governor; here's what to know about the candidate
Livestream the Beto vs. Abbott debate
The debate will appear here once it begins at 6 p.m. Friday.
How to watch the Beto O'Rourke vs. Greg Abbott debate in El Paso
The debate will air on all Nexstar-owned and operated Texas stations; in El Paso, that's Channel 9-KTSM.
Debate will be at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
O'Rourke and Abbott will share the stage at the university in Edinburg for one hour.
What time is the Beto vs. Abbott debate?
The start time is 6 p.m. MT.
O'Rourke vs. Abbott debate watch parties in El Paso
The El Paso County Republican Party and the El Paso County Democratic Party will host watch parties for Friday's event.
El Paso County Democratic Party: Join the El Paso Young Democrats, Tejano Paso Del Norte Democrats and the Westside Democrats at 5:30 p.m. at Old Sheepdog Brewery, 3900 Rosa Ave.
El Paso County Democratic Party: Join the Eastside Democrats at 5:30 p.m. at Moon Tower Sports Bar, 3233 N. Mesa St., Suite 301.
El Paso County Republican Party: Join the GOP at 5:30 p.m. at Republican Party Headquarters, 7717 Lockheed Drive. Potluck; bring your favorite plate to share.
Greg Abbott approved of one debate; Beto O'Rourke wanted four
The Abbott camp has clarified that the governor is only interested in a single one-on-one meeting. There was only one debate in his first two runs for the office.
O'Rourke, who has participated in dozens of town hall-style campaign events this year, wanted four events that would include questions from the audience that he and the governor would address. Several media organizations said they'd be happy to sponsor the events, but the governor's office said no thanks.
More on incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott
Abbott, 64, grew up in the Dallas area and practiced law in Houston before entering politics. His first elective office was a state district judgeship in Harris County. He served on the Texas Supreme Court for five years and three terms, totaling 12 years, as the state attorney general before being elected governor in 2014. He was reelected in 2018. He won by comfortable margins in both races.
More on Democratic candidate Beto O'Rourke
O'Rourke, 49, grew up in El Paso and later co-founded Stanton Street Technology Group. He began his political career as a City Council member in his hometown. He served for six years, including one year as mayor pro tem. From there, he served three terms in Congress before relinquishing what was considered a safe Democratic seat to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018. He lost by 2.6 percentage points and used that as a springboard for a short-lived quest for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
USA TODAY Network reporter John Moritz contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Beto vs. Abbott: How to watch Texas governor debate in El Paso
