Republican Greg Abbott and Democrat Wendy Davis debated tonight in Edinburg, near the Texas-Mexico border. KERA aired the debate live. If you missed it, watch it below.
The Texas Tribune offered a preview with a choice tidbit: This was only the second televised debate of Abbott's career. His first was during his 2002 run for attorney general.
KERA’s Shelley Kofler is in the Valley to cover the debate – she reports immigration continues to be in the spotlight.
Abbott and Davis are scheduled for only one more debate: on Sept. 30 at KERA.
The organizers of the Valley debate provided the following livestream. Note: Due to technical difficulties, the audio isn't available during the first several minutes of the debate. The audio starts working around the 7:00 mark.
The Texas Tribune's Jay Root offers this recap of the Valley debate:
In Debate, Davis Takes Aim At Abbott As He Targets Obama
By Jay Root, Texas Tribune
EDINBURG — Using the first gubernatorial debate to go on the attack Friday night, Wendy Davis slammed Republican Greg Abbott on everything from his position on abortion to his opposition to expanding Medicaid in Texas.
And while Davis sought to go on the offensive, Abbott generally let the punches fly without hitting back, portraying himself —as he has since launching his candidacy last year — as a warrior against President Obama and an expansive federal government.
Abbott did seem to catch Davis off guard when he was given the opportunity to pose a direct question to her. He asked her if she regretted voting for Obama.
“Mr. Abbott, what I am working on right now is running for governor of this incredible state and bringing polices forward that benefit this state,” she said. She then pivoted toward a discussion about her up-from-the-bootstraps biography and said she would work for all Texans if elected governor.
There appeared to be no major gaffes or surprising revelations during the one-hour encounter, but there were several good one-liners and plenty of hot exchanges — at least emanating from Davis’ side of the room.
