The event, hosted by Nexstar Media Group, will take place at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, which many consider to be ground zero for the state's illegal alien invasion, thanks to Joe Biden's policies. It will be the only statewide televised debate between Republican incumbent Governor Greg Abbott and former Democrat Congressman Robert Francis O'Rourke, who goes by the name Beto.
Cathie Adams, a former chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, says Abbott only stands to benefit from the debate, and she expects his eight-point lead in the polls will increase.
"I think that most Texans understand that anyone who goes by Beto instead of his real name … is really not a man who's going to stand up with boots and jeans and talk eye-to-eye to a Texan," Adams submits. "This guy is all hat and no cattle."
She also thinks O'Rourke will be hard-pressed to defend his record of supporting the president's border policies.
"It is heartbreaking to think that anyone would want to vote for him," Adams tells AFN. "If you look at the Hispanics along the border, they are turning Republican … because they are conservative in their thinking, conservative in their philosophy. They want families to be strong; they want them to be protected."
Abbott's campaign has said this evening's debate will be an hour long and available in every media market, including on Spanish-language channels. It will be moderated by Britt Moreno of KXAN in Austin and include a panel of journalists like Sally Hernandez of KXAN, Gromer Jeffers of The Dallas Morning News, and Steve Spriester of KSAT in San Antonio.
