Greg Abbott

SMU Debate Students Watch Abbott and O'Rourke Face Off in Gubernatorial Debate

NBCUniversal, Inc.

On a Friday night with lots of choices, a handful of SMU students stayed on campus to see if Beto O’Rourke and Gov. Greg Abbott could stay on topic in what is likely their only televised debate.

While Abbott and O’Rourke sprinted through nearly a dozen issues in 55 minutes including immigration, school safety, reproductive rights and property tax relief, the debate students who showed up at a watch party simply tried to keep up with a debate that had little time for deep dive answers.

“Although it was a very good debate, I would have liked to see them give a very straightforward answer backed up by the analysis that they did right after they gave that answer,” said one student.

The watch party is less for instant political analysis and more on listening to how well each candidate makes their appeal and having students willing to make their voice heard, said Ben Voth, associate professor and the director of debate and speech at the SMU Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences

“We’re trying to get everybody comfortable in a very partisan era with expressing themselves and not being afraid to talk about politics,” Voth said.

Election Day is Nov. 8. Early voting begins Oct. 24. The last day to register to vote in the November election is Oct. 11.

NBC 5's Julie Fine is live in Edinburg, Texas, Friday night where Gov. Greg Abbott and Beto O'Rourke faced off in their only debate for the race to Texas governor.
Contact Us