2022 Texas Governor’s Debate
On Sept. 30, both Republican incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott and Democratic challenger Beto O’ Rourke came to the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) for the only gubernatorial debate before the 2022 midterm elections. The event was held at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV)’s Performing Arts Center and hosted by KXAN- TV which is under Nexstar Media Group.
Britt Moreno, a KXAN news anchor, hosted the debate. The debate also had a panel of journalists including KXAN’s Sally Hernandez, Gromer Jeffers of the Dallas Morning News, and Steve Spriester of KSAT San Antonio.
Currently, Gov. Abbott is leading the polls by 7.3-points. With a little more than a month left before the Nov. 8 midterm elections, O’ Rourke attempts to close the gap. The debate is one of the ways he plans to reach the people of Texas.
The debate itself consisted of several topics including immigration, gun control, reproductive rights, law enforcement, education (with a focus on the teacher retention crisis), the Texas power grid, the property tax, and more.
The debate started with a discussion on immigration. The first question to each candidate was, what would they do to lessen the financial burden on border communities relating to migrants.
“What we need is a safe, legal, orderly path for anyone who wants to come here to work, to join family, or to seek asylum,” O’Rourke said. “ I’m going to work with local leaders, Republicans and Democrats alike, to make sure that we have a Texas-based guest worker program to alleviate shortages that we have in our state for labor demands, reduce inflation and address supply chain issues.”
A follow-up question asked to Gov. Abbott about whether more money should be allocated to Operation Lonestar, a $4 billion initiative to prevent migrants illegally crossing the border. He argues that the issue stems from the Biden Administration.
“Candidly, we shouldn’t have to allocate any money for it.” Gov. Abbott stated. “Because this is all because of Joe Biden’s failure to do the president’s job to secure the border.”
From immigration to reproductive rights, viewers were able to hear each candidate’s stance on certain issues. Sally Hernandez asked Gov. Abbott to talk more specifically about what he believes women can do in instances of rape or incest.
“Those victims can access health care immediately, as well as report it,” Gov. Abbott said. “Both of those have very meaningful consequences. By accessing health care immediately, they can get the plan B pill that can prevent the pregnancy from occurring in the first place… the state of Texas is going to pay for it to make sure that it is available for them…’’
In addition, he stated “an alternative, obviously, is to do what we can to assist and aid the victim… living assistance, baby supplies, all kinds of things that can help them also we’ve increased funding for prenatal and postpartum care.”
O’Rourke encourages everyone to vote and goes as far as to say “this election is about reproductive freedom… I will fight to make sure that every woman in Texas can make her own decisions about her own body, her own future, and her own healthcare.”
Students and citizens from all over Texas came to UTRGV to show their support for their candidate, such as Gloria Casarez, who is the mother of one of the victims of the Uvalde school shooting incident.
“We are definitely out here supporting Beto,” She said. “Beto has actually been out to Uvalde. He was the first one out there. He has been out there constantly, reaching out to us he’s supporting us 100 percent.”
Overall, the debate is one of the final steps before the midterm elections. As voting day approaches, candidates such as O’Rourke and Gov. Abbott are advocating for their policies and their plans for Texas.
Photos courtesy by NewsNation under Nexstar Media Group
