The night before the first voters cast their ballots for the midterm election, two candidates in one of the closest races in Texas faced off.
More than 650 people showed up to Temple Shalom in North Dallas for a debate between incumbent U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Dallas) and his Democratic challenger Colin Allred before early voting begins on Monday.
The debate was co-sponsored by the non-partisan American Jewish Committee Dallas, Temple Shalom and the Jewish/Latino Alliance.
"It's critical because we are really asking, existentially, 'Who is the United States? What is our role in the world?'" said American Jewish Committee Dallas Regional Director Joel Schwitzer. "We're asking very big questions and I think it's very important we put a lot of thought into those answers and that's what I hope to hear from the candidates tonight, thoughtful answers to big questions."
"We have been talking about the state of civil discourse in this country, like everyone else has, for months," said Temple Shalom's Rodney Schlosser. "Our values as a faith-based institution is not just to be a part of worship, but to really be a part of the community."
Sunday night's debate was moderated by KERA's Sam Baker with a list of prepared questions, but candidates also took questions from the audience and people watching the debate on social media.
The debate was free and open to the public. Attendees were asked to register for tickets. Organizers say all 650 seats "sold out" within days.
"Our members, which spread all over Dallas County and Collin County, increasingly want to have those discussions in a peaceful way, in a productive way and nothing is better than having the candidates come together in a house of worship to discuss the issues of importance in our civil and democratic process," Schlosser said.
"Now more than ever we need fresh ideas and we need new leadership," Allred told the audience at Sunday's debate. "We need to move in a new direction."
"Repeatedly he promised to be the most progressive, he promised he would go not only a single payer system but would do away with the tax bill," Sessions said.
The one hour debate covered a wide range of issues from immigration and the border wall, to healthcare and the #MeToo movement.
Audience questions posed to the candidates also covered a wide range, from tariffs and campaign finance reform to the movement of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and gun control.
"We must make sure that anyone purchasing a firearm goes through a background check," Allred said.
"We have a mental health problem," Sessions said. He pointed to his work on an opioid task force and said veterans are in deep need.
The battle over Texas' 32nd Congressional District may be a close race. A poll completed in September showed Sessions, one of the state's longest-serving representatives, carrying a narrow one-point lead over Allred.
You can watch the full debate on Temple Shalom's Facebook page.
