The Texas Debates: Race for Congressional District 33
On July 10, KERA hosted a debate between the Democrats who finished first and second in the May primary for the U.S Representative seat from District 33. In The Texas Debates: Congressional District 33, former Dallas Councilman and former Texas House member Domingo Garcia and State Representative Marc Veasey squared off in a half-hour television debate.
Watch the video:
http://video.kera.org/video/2254853723
The program, sponsored by AARP, was broadcast on KERA-TV Channel 13 at 10:00 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, July 10, with encore broadcasts at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 13, and Sunday, July 15 at noon. It will also air on KERA 90.1 FM at 5:00 p.m. CDT on Sunday, July 15. The newly formed Congressional District 33 includes parts of both Dallas and Tarrant counties. The winner of the district’s Democratic run-off election will then face Republican Chuck Bradley.
THE CANDIDATES
Domingo Garcia
Age: 54 Residence: Dallas
Professional/Political Experience: Texas Southern Law School; El Colegio de Mexico, Mexico City; Dallas City Council 1991-1995, Texas State Representative 1996-2004
Texas Connection: Born in Midland ; Councilman of the Year, Dallas Observer 1993; Legislative Hero, Stonewall Democrats 1998, 2000; Service Award, Texas Democratic Caucus.
Why I am the best candidate: I believe every American should have an opportunity to succeed. I want to fight for our Democratic principles of fairness, equality and inclusion, delivering a smarter government that works for you and not just for a privileged few. I have the range of experience, knowledge, and problem solving skills to interface our local urban issues with the issues facing our nation and deliver results to the metroplex.
Top Priorities: Create jobs; Grow small businesses; Fix Public Schools
Official Website: www.domingoforcongress.com
----
Marc Veasey
Age: 41 Residence: Fort Worth
Professional/Political Experience: Texas Wesleyan University ; Texas State Representative 2004-Present, Texas House Democratic Chairman; Senior Staff, Congressman Martin Frost (D) 1998-2004.
Texas Connection: Born in Fort Worth; Texas Lyceum Alumnus; Freshman of the Year, Texas Democratic Caucus 2004; Champion of the Environment, League of Conservation Voters 2007.
Why I am the best candidate: I have a proven record of building strong coalitions to get things done and can bridge the racial and geographic divides of the diverse District 33. I will fight to protect the jobs and economic benefits of the area’s major employers just like I saved our neighborhood schools from massive budget cuts and preserved seniors’ Medicaid benefits. I will go to Washington , work with President Obama and deliver results for North Texas .
Top Priorities: Strong public schools; Creating jobs; Access to quality healthcare
Official Website: www.marcveasey.com
MODERATOR AND PANELISTS
KERA Managing Editor and Debate Moderator Shelley Kofler is an award-winning broadcast journalist and television producer with expertise covering public policy issues, statewide elections and presidential primaries for KXAS-TV/NBC-5, WFAA-TV/ABC and KERA.
Crystal Ayala is an Emmy-nominated journalist currently working as a news anchor and reporter for Univision Dallas. Previously, she worked as a San Juan news correspondent for NTN24TV (International News Network), an associate producer for Univision National News and Affiliate News Department and as a reporter for Univision Denver.
Dave Montgomery has covered virtually every type of story from U.S. presidential races to Kremlin intrigue during nearly five decades as a professional journalist. During a 31-year stint with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Montgomery served as a bureau chief in Austin, Washington and Moscow. He now covers the Texas state capitol for theFort Worth Business Press.
Bill Zeeble has been a reporter at KERA since 1992, covering everything from medicine and the Mavericks to education and politics. He’s won local, state and national journalism awards including honors from the Dallas and Texas Bar Associations, The Associated Press and Public Radio News Directors, Inc. He has co-anchored presidential primary radio debates and sat on debate panels for local races.
THE PRODUCTION TEAM
Sylvia Komatsu, Executive-in-Charge, is executive vice president and chief content officer for KERA/KXT. She conceived and developed the national Emmy Award-winning series, The U.S.-Mexican War (1846-1848). Among her many national public television credits as program executive are JFK: Breaking the News, Matisse & Picasso and After Goodbye: An AIDS Story.
Shelley Kofler, Executive Producer and Moderator, is managing editor for KERA News and an award-winning broadcast journalist and television producer with expertise covering public policy issues, statewide elections and presidential primaries for KXAS-TV/NBC-5, WFAA-TV/ABC and KERA.
Alexis Yancey, Producer, is an independent producer and owner of Alexis Yancey Productions. An award-winning network news producer, her credits include contributions to the CBS Weekend News, Sunday Morning, Street Stories with Ed Bradley, 20th Century with Mike Wallace, America Tonight and CBS News This Morning, and additional experience with WFAA-TV in Dallas, WBZ-TV in Boston and WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee.
ABOUT THE PARTNERS
The Texas Debates is produced by KERA in partnership with Univision Texas.
KERA is a not-for-profit public media organization that serves the people of North Texas. The station broadcasts to the fourth-largest population area in the United States. KERA produces original multimedia content, carries the best in national and international public television and radio programs, and provides online resources atwww.kera.org. KERA-TV broadcasts on Channel 13.1. KERA-FM broadcasts on 90.1 in Dallas/Fort Worth/Denton, 88.3 in Wichita Falls, 100.1 in Tyler and 99.3 in Sherman.
Univision Communications Inc. (UCI) is the leading media company serving Hispanic America. Among many assets, UCI includes Univision Network, one of the top five networks in the U.S. regardless of language, and the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the country, reaching 97% of U.S. Hispanic households; and Univision Television Group, which owns and/or operates 62 television stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico. www.univision.net