Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Democrat Beto O’Rourke will meet for their first — and probably only — in-person debate in the Texas governor’s race at 7 p.m. Friday at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg.
Abbott’s campaign messaging has centered on the economy and border security, while O’Rourke has campaigned largely on abortion rights and gun control. Recent polls show that the race could be the closest Texas gubernatorial election in more than 20 years, although Abbott continues to maintain his lead against O’Rourke by 5 or more percentage points
Here’s how to watch the debate live starting at 7 p.m. Central.
More:What’s on the line for Abbott, O’Rourke in Friday’s debate?
What’s on the line for Abbott, O’Rourke in the debate?
With Abbott consistently leading O’Rourke in multiple polls, the debate carries very different stakes for the two candidates. The highly anticipated matchup poses potential risks and rewards for both candidates, an opportunity to trade barbs face to face after months of launching attacks on the campaign trail and through political ads.
“Abbott has the most to lose given that the status quo is if nothing changes, he wins,” said Mark Jones, a political science fellow at Rice University. “For Beto, the debate is extremely important because it gives him the opportunity to perhaps shift the dynamic of the campaign or force Abbott to do or say something that he later regrets.”
In a state where Democrats have not won a statewide election in decades, Abbott is considered to hold a significant advantage in his bid to win a third term in the governor’s mansion. Abbott is further bolstered by his war chest of more than $45.7 million, based on the most recent campaign finance report covering February to June of this year.
O’Rourke will seek to attack Abbott’s record with a particular focus on his stances on gun access and abortion, given the recent mass shooting in Uvalde and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to end constitutional protections for abortion. Both seismic events have had a mass mobilizing effect among Democrats nationally, giving the Democratic Party more optimism that the midterms might not bring the red wave that pundits had been forecasting.
– Staff writer Niki Griswold
Abbott 7 points ahead of O’Rourke in latest Quinnipiac poll
Abbott holds a 7-percentage point edge over O’Rourke, according to a poll released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University. It’s the latest of several surveys that have found a single-digit lead for Abbott, but the difference is well outside the margin of error.
The Quinnipiac poll found 53% of likely voters favoring Abbott and 46% favoring O’Rourke. Perhaps most worrisome for O’Rourke, nearly all voters — 96% — who support a candidate in the race say their minds are made up about how they will vote.
Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political science professor, said the poll confirms that Republicans and Democrats are largely unified around their respective candidates. The poll found that 96% of Republicans favored Abbott, while 96% of Democrats favored O’Rourke.
“There’s not a lot of wiggle room,” he said. “This is going to be a very base versus base election, and there are likely a lot of people in the middle who may not choose to vote.”
– Staff writer Skye Seipp
Here’s what you need to know about Abbott, O’Rourke before the debate
Greg Abbott
- Given name: Gregory Wayne Abbott
- Date of birth: Nov. 13, 1957
- City of birth: Wichita Falls
- Where he grew up: Duncanville
- Party: Republican
- Family: Spouse, Cecilia; one daughter
- Political career: Two terms as governor, three terms as Texas attorney general, five-and-a-half years as Texas Supreme Court justice
- Profession before politics: Attorney
- One personal trait: Before he was paralyzed when he was struck by a fallen tree, Abbott was a half-mile runner on his high school track team.
2022 Texas governor candidates:Who are Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke?
Beto O’Rourke
- Given name: Robert Francis O’Rourke
- Date of birth: Sept. 26, 1972
- City of birth: El Paso
- Where he grew up: El Paso
- Party: Democrat
- Family: Spouse, Amy; two sons, one daughter
- Political career: Unsuccessfully sought the 2020 Democratic nomination for president, unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in 2018, three terms as a congressman, six years as a member of the El Paso City Council (including one year as mayor pro tem)
- Profession before politics: Co-founded Stanton Street Technology Group, an internet services and software company
- One personal trait: Starting during his college years, he was a performing member of at least four punk rock bands.
– Staff writer John Moritz
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism