COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – A student organization at Texas A&M University is making a push to host a high-stakes debate between the candidates for Texas’ open U.S. Senate seat, though neither campaign has committed to take the stage at this time.
The Memorial Student Center Wiley Lecture Series announced Wednesday that it has formally invited Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic State Rep. James Talarico to meet for a 90-minute debate on Wednesday, Oct. 14, in Rudder Auditorium on the Texas A&M campus.
The proposed event would fall just five days before early voting begins on Oct. 19.
Organizers said their goal is to provide voters with a direct look at the candidates ahead of the November general election while highlighting issues important to younger Texans, including workforce entry and the cost of higher education.
However, an agreement between the two campaigns remains uncertain.
“No, neither campaign has confirmed their participation yet, though we are actively working to secure them,” said Scarlett Kramer with MSC Wiley. “We hope to spread the word that this event is currently in the planning stages and gauge media interest.”
To date, Paxton and Talarico have not held any debates, although Talarico’s camp has said repeatedly it would welcome the opportunity.
According to reporting from Dallas television station WFAA, Paxton initially agreed to debate Talarico but has since stopped responding to follow-up calls and messages from station organizers.
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Talarico criticized Paxton over the apparent impasse, saying he remains ready to face his opponent.
Earlier this month, Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) said Paxton must debate his opponent, Democratic nominee James Talarico, to win the state’s Senate election.
Rep. Sessions told broadcast group Nextstar, “I don’t think he can win without the debate. About 30 percent of the electorate is looking for this to be done.”
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According to a report by The Washington Times, Paxton also turned down an offer from CNN to a debate, with his campaign staff calling the idea a political stunt.
Paxton campaign adviser Nick Maddux said in a statement to CBS 11 in Dallas, “No Texan wants to watch James Talarico and two of his fellow far-left activists posing as moderators spew left-wing talking points in a ’debate,’ or what they would try to turn into a CCP-style struggle session.”
“I agreed to 3 debates over a month ago. You declined every single one. You love to talk tough on Fox. Say it to me on the debate stage,” Talarico said in August in a post on social platform X.
MSC Wiley organizers said if both campaigns accept, they plan to coordinate both broadcast and written coverage of the event for viewers statewide.
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