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Gov. Abbott agrees to debate with challenger Beto O'Rourke
The Abbott campaign agreed to a debate on the evening of September 30.
The race between Governor Greg Abbott and former congressman Beto O'Rourke will be one of the most closely watched across the country this November.
Tuesday, Gov. Abbott agreed to an hour-long debate with his Democratic opponent on Friday, September 30 at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburgh.
In a statement the governor's campaign called the meeting "the one and only gubernatorial debate of the 2022 election."
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O'Rourke's campaign agreed to the debate in the Valley, without officially signing off on the date itself.
The Democrat's team is also calling for more meetings between the two candidates.
"One debate in one community for the entire state of Texas is not nearly enough. The people of Texas deserve better," said Beto for Texas campaign spokesperson Chris Evans.
The O'Rourke campaign invited Gov. Abbott to three town-hall style debates in the fall, where the candidates would take questions directly from Texas voters.
Abbott and his previous Democratic challenger, former Dallas County sheriff Lupe Valdez, only debated once during the 2018 campaign.
A YouGov poll released in July showed Governor Abbott with 49-44 lead over O'Rourke with 5% of voters undecided.