Democratic congressional candidate Gina Ortiz Jones has agreed to two debates with Tony Gonzales next month.
The debates will take place Oct. 8 and 13 on KSAT ABC-12 News and KVIA ABC-7 News, respectively.
Jones, a former Air Force captain and public servant, came within a half of one percent from ousting U.S. Rep. Will Hurd when she ran in 2018. With Hurd retiring and her strong performance during the midterms, Jones’ district is considered one of the likeliest to flip in 2020.
“As South and West Texans continue to suffer from this ongoing public health and economic crisis, voters deserve to know exactly where the candidates stand on the issues that matter,” Jones said in a prepared statement. “In these upcoming debates, I’m looking forward to contrasting my commitment to fighting for working families with Tony Gonzales’ promise to eliminate the Affordable Care Act and its protections for patients with pre-existing conditions.”
Polling has yet to be released for the race between Gonzales and Jones.
Both are running for Congress in Texas’ 23rd congressional district, which stretches from San Antonio to just outside El Paso.
The large district has long been one of the state’s most frequent swing districts and has changed parties four times in the past decade.
Jones is not the only congressional candidate seeking to duke it out with their opponent on stage. Sri Preston Kulkarni (TX-22) and Mike Siegel (TX-10) are among those pressuring their Republican opponents to meet them on the debate stage.
Further up the ballot, Air Force helicopter pilot MJ Hegar has agreed to two debates with Sen. John Cornyn, the first taking place on Oct. 9 in Austin.
Photo: Jay Godwin/ Wikimedia Commons
Fernando covers Texas politics and government at the Texas Signal. Before joining the Signal, Fernando spent two years at the Houston Chronicle and previously interned at Houston’s NPR station News 88.7. He is a graduate of the University of Houston, Jack J. Valenti School of Communication, and enjoys reading, highlighting things, and arguing on social media. You can follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93 or email at fernando@texassignalarchive.com
