Left to Right: Abbott (R), Barrios (G), Gilbert (I), O’Rourke (D), and Tippetts (L). Photos via Respective Campaigns
Gov. Greg Abbott’s campaign announced yesterday he had accepted an invitation by Nexstar Media Group to participate in a gubernatorial debate at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg. In a statement, Abbott said he would be willing to debate on September 30th, though Abbott’s Democratic Party challenger, Beto O’Rourke, has not confirmed his participation in the debate. Instead, O’Rourke’s campaign has suggested a series of town-hall style debates.
According to Nexstar, Abbott and O’Rourke were the only two candidates invited. Other candidates on the ballot include Libertarian Party nominee Mark Tippetts, Green Party Candidate Delilah Barrios, and independents Jorge Alberto Franco and Deirdre Gilbert. According to Nexstar, both of the following requirements must be met for a candidate to receive an invitation:
The candidate must have received at least 10% “in an established, professionally conducted nonpartisan poll without taking the survey’s margin of error into account”
The campaign must have received “at least $50,000 in monetary, as opposed to in-kind, campaign contributions, at least 25 percent of which must be raised from in-state constituents.”
Responses from the Libertarian Party of Texas and Green Party of Bexar County are included below:
As always, as The Amarillo Pioneer prepares to announce forums and debates ahead of the upcoming general election, our simple requirements for invitation are as follows:
Be on the ballot, or
Have a serious and organized write-in campaign