DALLAS — Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic challenger Rep. Colin Allred will face off in their first televised debate on Tuesday, October 15, at 7 p.m. at WFAA’s studios in downtown Dallas.
Scheduled three weeks before Election Day, "The Texas Debate" will be a crucial opportunity for both candidates to work to sway undecided voters in what could be a close contest in November.
Here's what to know about "The Texas Debate" and how to tune in:
TEGNA’s reach in Texas is unmatched by any other media company, reaching Texans in 87% of the state. The debate will air on each TEGNA Texas station’s broadcast and digital platforms, as well as each TEGNA Texas station’s free streaming app available for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku devices.
- WFAA (Dallas / Fort Worth)
- KHOU (Houston)
- KVUE (Austin)
- KENS (San Antonio)
- KCEN (Waco)
- KAGS (College Station)
- KYTX (Tyler)
- KIII (Corpus Christi)
- KBMT-KJAC (Beaumont)
- KXVA (Abilene)
- KIDY (San Angelo)
- KWES (Midland and Odessa)
"The Texas Debate" will be moderated by WFAA Senior Political Reporter Jason Whitely and Gromer Jeffers, Jr., political reporter at The Dallas Morning News.
“No team has the depth of experience like WFAA’s seasoned team of political journalists,” said Carolyn Mungo, WFAA’s Vice President and Station Manager. “With this debate reaching Texans statewide, voters will have an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates about the issues that matter most to them.”
TEGNA also will provide a free feed of the debate to Texas radio and TV stations with certain market restrictions through the Texas Association of Broadcasters.
“This is an important election for Texas,” said Leslie McCardel, WFAA’s Executive News Director. “As a local broadcaster, we are committed to fostering civic engagement. We look forward to hosting an open, informative debate that voters can watch live on our many platforms.”
Cruz was first elected to the Senate in 2012 and is seeking a third six-year term in the Senate. Cruz is the ranking member of the Senate Committee for Commerce, Science and Transportation.
Allred was elected to the U.S. House in 2018 representing the Dallas area. Allred was one of two Democrats who flipped the U.S. House seats in Texas that same year.
In 2018, Cruz beat former Rep. Beto O’Rourke by a close margin. The two were separated by 3 percentage points of flipping the seat, which is the closest margin in a Texas U.S. Senate race in decades.
Election day is Nov. 5.
Watch Sen. Ted Cruz's full Inside Texas Politics interview below
Watch Congressman Colin Allred's full Inside Texas Politics interview below