KSAT 12 will broadcast and livestream the debate between Gov. Greg Abbott and Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30 and host a virtual watch party for KSAT Insiders in this article.
Nexstar Media Group will host the debate at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and have KSAT anchor Steve Spriester as a panelist. The KSAT Insider watch party with live online commenting will start at 6:50 p.m. to allow people time to sign up or log in to their accounts. Following the debate, stick around for reactions from experts, the candidates and the moderators, which include KSAT’s Steve Spriester.
Relevant Information:
- In anticipation of the gubernatorial debate tonight, viewers and readers have shared with us the topics they’re hoping to hear. These include:
- Health care (specifically, Medicaid and abortion)
- Border and immigration
- Economy (specifically, inflation)
- Gun rights and Gun control
- Property taxes
- Education (specifically, curriculum changes and talks about critical race theory)
- Uvalde and school safety post-Uvalde
- Police accountability
- LGBTQ+ rights
- Voting rights
- Texas power grid
- Climate change
- What does the Texas governor do? The governor is the chief executive of Texas and is elected by citizens every four years. The governor can sign and veto bills passed by the state legislature, serve as commander-in-chief of the state’s military forces and convene special sessions of the legislature, among other things.
- How did Nexstar Media Group arrange the debate? Nexstar Media used a set of criteria to determine which candidates were eligible to participate, including a requirement that a candidate receives at least 10% support in an established, professionally-conducted, non-partisan poll leading up to the election. To be eligible, the candidates must also have raised at least $50,000 in campaign contributions. Read more here.
- Will there be more debates between Gov. Greg Abbott and Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke? Abbott has said the Sept. 30 debate will be the only one he’ll participate in before the November election. Meanwhile, O’Rourke is pushing for more.
📅 Key election dates to keep in mind:
- Tuesday, Oct. 11 - Last day to register to vote (here’s how you can register by the deadline)
- Monday, Oct. 24 - First day of early voting
- Friday, Oct. 28 - Last day to apply for a ballot by mail (must be received, not postmarked by this date)
- Friday, Nov. 4 - Last day of early voting
- Tuesday, Nov. 8 - Election Day. Absentee/mail-in ballots must be postmarked or delivered by hand by 7 p.m. Ballots from overseas voters must be received by the 5th day after Election Day. Ballots from armed forces members must be received by the 6th day after Election Day.